Student‑led “Students’ List” emerges as main challenger to Vučić in Serbian election

Serbia’s parliamentary election has seen the youth‑backed Students’ List become the principal challenger to the Serbian Progressive Party (SPP) of former president Aleksandar Vučić.

The vote, taking place across the country, pits Vučić’s SPP against the Students’ List, a movement driven by anger over corruption, government accountability and the state of democracy. Polls suggest the student‑led list is running close to the SPP.

The campaign has been shadowed by allegations of electoral manipulation, while Vučić’s government faces international criticism over its stance on Russia and the legacy of the Balkan Wars.

Former UN diplomat Garrett Patrick Kelly, speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, described the Students’ List as the third major protest movement in Serbia, following earlier uprisings over waterfront development and lithium mining. He linked the current mobilisation to a fatal awning collapse at a railway station, after which the government refused to release tender documents, sparking protests that lasted two years and culminated in today’s election.

Serbian film student Mia, featured in a clip shared by Kelly, recounted her arrest outside the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, describing police violence and the broader demand to return the country to its people.

The Students’ List does not field its own candidates; instead, it presents a slate of independents deemed capable of governing without party affiliation.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: K / Pexels.