Belgrade Cleans Up as Student List Triumph Brings a Smell of Freedom

A tense election night

About half an hour before polls closed, large groups of masked men dressed in black gathered in and around Pioneers Park, opposite Serbia’s national assembly building. Their presence raised fears that the governing Serbian Progressive party, known as SNS, might resist giving up power.

Riot police did not intervene, and barriers around the park were taken away. The men quickly left. Student List supporters then entered Ćaciland, where some tents were set on fire.

Volunteers clear the park

The morning after celebrations, hundreds of people joined municipal workers to remove the encampment. Volunteers took apart damaged white tents and cleaned and disinfected the playground’s climbing frames, swings and slides.

Tamara Tomic, wearing yellow rubber gloves, said the work reflected a desire for a peaceful, ordinary life and the chance to enjoy the city. Another supporter described the day as a victory and said the rubbish carried the smell of freedom.

Promises and questions ahead

The Student List published an 11-point programme, with most proposals focused on anti-corruption measures. It also pledged judicial reform, media freedom, affordable housing and better healthcare, including “a doctor in every village.” Kurt Bassuener, co-founder of the Democratization Policy Council, said he was concerned about what would follow once the excitement faded and government formation began. Ilija Srdanović, the list’s top-ranked candidate and a cardiologist at the university in Novi Sad, said his ranking did not mean he would become prime minister.

Leadership and European signals

Srdanović said the list’s 250 candidates were equal participants in the effort, and that several could be selected for the prime minister’s role or another position. He has joined student protests since their early days, following a deadly roof collapse in Novi Sad.

Michael Davenport, a former EU and UK ambassador to Serbia, said student demonstrations and marches across the country had not featured large numbers of EU flags. Meanwhile, car horns sounded through Monday as drivers passed the clean-up in the park.