Student movement mobilises in Belgrade
Students travelling from across Serbia joined thousands of demonstrators in Belgrade on Wednesday, with music and flags accompanying their arrival, Euronews reported. The gathering precedes the movement’s closing rally for the October 25 snap parliamentary election, according to RTSH.
RTSH said some participants reached the capital following marches lasting several days. The Student List grew out of protests that followed the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024.
The movement operates through open assemblies without formal political leaders and is fielding 250 parliamentary candidates, RTSH reported. Its slate includes professors, farmers, former judges, actors and sports figures, among them former basketball player Dejan Bodiroga.
RTSH reports a narrow polling lead
RTSH cited a poll by the Institute for New Serbian Political Thought, or NSPM, that put the Student List on 44.5% and Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party, known as SNS, on 42.7%. It said other surveys produced differing margins, with some showing a larger student advantage and a smaller number placing SNS narrowly ahead.
SNS held its closing campaign rally in Niš on Wednesday. Vučić expressed confidence in victory and alleged that anti-government protests over the previous two years were financed and organised by foreign services seeking to destabilise Serbia and remove his government.
Arrests and election scrutiny
RTSH also reported police operations involving activists in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Serbia’s General Prosecutor’s Office said six people had been arrested on suspicion of inciting unrest on election day. The student movement alleged that the actions were intended to intimidate activists and voters.
According to RTSH, the European Parliament sent a special observer mission to monitor the vote. Serbian authorities criticised the delegation’s composition, while Vučić accused some international observers of bias against Serbia.