Serbia votes in snap parliamentary elections — Al Jazeera

Serbia is holding snap parliamentary elections on October 25, in which the Serbian Progressive Party of former president Aleksandar Vučić is competing against the Student List student movement. The elections were called in September amid nearly two years of student protests against alleged corruption and growing authoritarian tendencies.

As Al Jazeera reports, the protests began after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in 2024. Sixteen people were killed. Activists and human rights organizations link the tragedy to corruption in the authorities and also report increased repression since the protest movement began.

A close race for votes

Polls predict a competitive race. According to Ipsos data released on Thursday, the Serbian Progressive Party had the support of 47% of respondents, while Student List had 40%. At the same time, other polls gave the student movement an advantage.

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On Thursday, about 150,000 supporters of the student movement gathered for a rally in central Belgrade. The Student List includes 250 mostly little-known candidates, including university lecturers, actors and farmers. The list is headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović.

Candidate platforms

During the campaign, Vučić promised to raise pensions and salaries for public-sector workers, invest in public healthcare and provide subsidies to young couples. He also kept open the possibility of Serbia joining the European Union.

Student List focuses on fighting corruption and improving education, while the movement provides few details about its international priorities. Vučić and his party deny allegations of repression, corruption and surveillance of opponents. The former president also claimed that students are funded by foreign agents from Croatia and Montenegro, but movement participants deny this.