Serbia votes as student-backed list challenges Vučić’s governing party
A snap parliamentary election on October 25 puts a movement born from protests over a deadly station collapse against the party that has governed Serbia for 14 years.
Serbia is voting in a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, October 25, with a student-backed list challenging Aleksandar Vučić’s governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The vote could change who governs the Balkan country after 14 years of SNS rule, but the competing polls leave the outcome uncertain.
Vučić called the early election in September and stepped down as president to run for prime minister, Deutsche Welle reported. He has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, serving first as prime minister and then as president. The newly formed Students’ List is seeking to end his party’s hold on power.
How the student movement reached the ballot
The challenge grew from demonstrations that began after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in 2024, killing 16 people. The protests against perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism continued for almost two years and gained broad support, Reuters reported.
The Students’ List has 250 candidates, including university professors, actors and farmers, and is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović, according to Reuters. Its domestic agenda calls for tackling corruption and improving schooling. The movement has said less about its international aims.
Vučić and the SNS have repeatedly denied accusations of repression, corruption and spying on opponents. Vučić has accused the students of receiving funding from foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro; the students reject that claim, Reuters reported.
Polls diverge before voting ends
An Ipsos poll published on Thursday put the SNS on 47% and the student list on 40%, Reuters reported, while other polls placed the students ahead. The figures are estimates of voter support, leaving the result open as ballots are cast.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT). Reuters said first indications of the result were expected roughly two hours after polls close.
The election also matters for Serbia’s external direction. Vučić has maintained ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, Serbia’s traditional ally and main natural gas supplier, while keeping open the prospect of European Union membership. Reuters reported that relations with the EU have frayed over concerns about judicial reform, the rule of law and corruption.
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Sources and context
- Serbia votes as student-led movement seeks to end Aleksandar Vucic's ruleDeutsche Welle
- Serbia votes as students seek to unseat Vucic in snap electionReuters, republished by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.