Serbia holds snap election as students challenge Vucic’s 14‑year rule

Serbs will vote on October 25 in a snap parliamentary election that will decide whether President Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) keeps power after 14 years. The contest is being watched as a referendum on the SNS system, with the main challenger being a student‑backed list that emerged from nationwide protests.

The protests were sparked by a November 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. What began as calls for accountability over the tragedy grew into a broader movement against alleged corruption and the government’s handling of the disaster. Students have become the driving force, organising some of Serbia’s largest demonstrations since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic and channeling deep frustration with the SNS, which has governed since 2012.

Vucic resigned the presidency in September, before the end of his second term, to lead the SNS campaign for prime minister. The move makes the parliamentary vote central to his effort to retain political power ahead of a separate presidential election. The student‑backed Student List–Students Win (Studentska lista–Studenti pobeduju) is fielding candidates with little or no prior political experience, including academics, teachers and other professionals. It campaigns on restoring the rule of law, ending corruption and rebuilding institutions, rather than focusing on divisive issues such as Kosovo, EU membership or relations with Russia.

Some opposition parties have chosen not to run and instead support the student list, while others contest the vote but risk failing to clear the 3 % parliamentary threshold. Analysts say turnout will be decisive; the SNS retains a disciplined core electorate supported by a clientelist model, and the student list must also mobilise habitual non‑voters and the undecided.

Electoral rules are straightforward: voters elect all 250 members of the National Assembly in a single nationwide constituency, with seats allocated proportionally. Lists generally need at least 3 % of the vote to enter parliament, though recognised minority lists are exempt. The list or coalition that commands a majority in the 250‑seat assembly will form a government.

Beyond the domestic stakes, the election’s outcome will influence Serbia’s foreign policy outlook. The student movement has avoided detailed commitments, aiming to unite left, centre and right‑leaning voters. If a new government pursues democratic reforms, judicial independence, free media and anti‑corruption measures, it could revive EU accession talks, which have been stalled by concerns over the rule of law, limited alignment with EU sanctions and the Kosovo normalisation process. However, the student list’s candidates have also signalled a hard line on Kosovo and floated a referendum on EU membership within six months, which could slow progress. Moscow has offered explicit support to the current government, portraying the protests as a Western‑backed “colour revolution,” while the United States Congress has voiced concern over democratic standards and Serbia’s ties with Russia.

The election will be decided when polls close on Sunday at 8 pm local time, with preliminary results expected about two hours later. Source: Al Jazeera.