Belgrade Student List Targets 40% as Serbia Votes Sunday

Serbia holds a parliamentary election on Sunday, the first in the last fourteen years to feature a genuinely competitive field and an uncertain result. The contest pits the incumbent Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, against the Student List, a coalition formed by a student movement that has protested the government for nearly two years.

The Student List held its final campaign rally on Thursday evening in Belgrade. Thousands of supporters filled the streets, many of whom had walked from various regions of the country to the capital for the event. Arsa Stojanovic, a biology student, told the crowd that the walkers had traveled across Serbia to connect with local communities and confirm public support. Aleksandar Cupic, a transport engineering professor and candidate for the list, described the atmosphere as smelling like freedom. The gathering concluded with a traditional circle dance.

The movement originated after a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing sixteen people. Students framed the disaster as a symbol of institutional failure and used the campaign to demand accountability and combat corruption. They attempted to transcend traditional ideological and foreign policy divides that have historically defined Serbian politics.

Dusan Spasojevic, a political scientist, characterized the upcoming vote as the first competitive election since Aleksandar Vucic took power in 2012. He noted that the movement has generated substantial hope and support. Current polls suggest the Student List could secure more than 40% of the vote, a level of support that would make it a formidable force in the new parliament.

A few kilometers away, the SNS conducted its own closing rally. The party emphasized stability, continuity, and prosperity as the rewards for voting for the incumbent. It portrayed the election as a struggle for national sovereignty, accusing opponents of serving foreign interests. Former President Vucic told supporters that opponents had tried to destroy the country on foreign orders and had attacked the party with billions of euros.

The campaign has been marked by friction. By the final week, the independent monitoring group CRTA recorded 116 incidents of physical violence or verbal threats. These included physical confrontations, attacks on campaigners, and attempts to seize campaign banners. CRTA reported that opposition activists, particularly those linked to the Student List, faced surveillance and police questioning. The group also noted that police were sometimes slow to protect opposition candidates and supporters.

CRTA stated that the campaign was neither free nor fair. Its report found that nearly three-quarters of airtime on national television was allocated to government representatives. More than 80% of coverage regarding the Student List was negative. The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network published testimony from a former SNS member describing pressure on public sector employees to deliver votes. Anonymous sources told Deutsche Welle that voters were offered between 30 and 150 euros, or family holiday packages, to vote for the SNS.

Authorities have warned for weeks that students, allegedly aided by foreign intelligence, are preparing for street violence. Several individuals have been arrested on suspicion of plotting disturbances for election night. Spasojevic said a decisive win for either side would be the best outcome, but polls point to a narrow margin. He added that a narrow SNS victory would almost certainly be contested, while the movement has vowed to defend every vote.

The European Union has watched the process closely. An EU Commission spokesperson said that key recommendations on improving Serbia's electoral framework remain unimplemented. The spokesperson stressed that democracy and the rule of law are central to the accession process. Serbia has been an EU candidate country since 2012.