The student movement emerged from protests following the collapse of the train station canopy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. Critics attributed the disaster to corruption and sloppiness in the Vucic government. The subsequent student protests mobilized broad sections of the Serbian population and awakened a desire for change.
This hope could now be fulfilled. According to Cesid, the student list won 139 of the 250 parliamentary seats, while Vucic’s SNS had to go into opposition with 104 seats. There are also seven mandates for small parties from ethnic minorities.
Prime Minister’s question still open
Although Srdanovic (56), a respected cardiologist from Novi Sad, headed the student list, he is not automatically considered a candidate for prime minister following the SL’s election victory. The movement has not yet committed itself to personnel issues regarding a future government.
Vucic, in turn, resigned from his position as president at the end of September in order to become head of government if his party won the election. His presidential mandate would have expired in May next year, and after two terms in office he can no longer run for the position. But the 56-year-old has made a mistake with his tactical moves – the only thing left for him is the thankless job of being the opposition leader.
Trouble with the EU, cozying up with the Kremlin
Serbia, a country with currently around 6.5 million inhabitants, has had EU membership candidate status since 2012 and began official accession negotiations with the European Union in 2014 under Vucic. However, the course of the previous Serbian leadership has largely caused the accession process to stagnate. The reasons included the dismantling of democracy, the restriction of media freedom and Vuci’s adherence to close contacts Moscow.
As the only European country except Belarus Serbia did not accept the EU’s sanctions against Russia as head of the Kremlin Vladimir Putin the Ukraine attacked militarily in 2022. Russian agents and influencers can move almost freely in Serbia – apparently also on the way to sabotage operations in EU countries such as Germany. The Vucic government’s propaganda media denigrated the EU and portrayed Russia and China in a rosy light.
EU sees opportunity for a new beginning
Top EU representatives congratulated the student list on its election victory and promised them close cooperation. “We are ready to support reforms in the areas of the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and the strengthening of democratic institutions and to work together to advance Serbia’s path to the European Union,” wrote the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa in a joint statement on Platform X.
