Video: 150,000 people took to the streets in Belgrade for an opposition rally — AFP

On October 22, a large-scale opposition rally took place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on the eve of early parliamentary elections. According to estimates by the independent organization Archive of Public Gatherings, the rally drew about 150,000 participants.

 

Demonstrators gathered in Slavia Square and the surrounding streets, calling for an end to the long-standing rule of Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Protesters also urged people to vote for the opposition “Student List”—a political movement that emerged amid mass anti-corruption protests.

Flags bearing the slogan “Students Will Win” flew at the rally. Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for victory, whistled, and called for political change.

“We will put an end to 14 years of humiliation, chaos, and betrayal, as well as to the decades when personal and party interests were placed above yours,” said university professor Jugoslav Hašić, one of the “Student List” candidates.

The opposition movement has fielded 250 candidates for 250 seats in the Serbian parliament. Among them are university professors, civic activists, and people who have not previously been actively involved in politics.

The students’ main demand remains the fight against corruption and holding officials accountable.

Parliamentary elections in Serbia will take place on Sunday, October 25.

The “Student List” has become the most serious challenge to the Serbian Progressive Party, which has been in power since 2012.

Aleksandar Vučić, who previously served as prime minister and president, stepped down from the presidency to run in the election as a candidate for prime minister.

While the opposition held a rally in central Belgrade, Vučić addressed his supporters in another part of the capital. He called on voters to support his political party.

Dusan Vucicevic, a political scientist at the University of Belgrade, speculates that the student movement could win more than 40% of the vote. Such a result would be the opposition’s greatest success since the SNS came to power.

Source: AFP

Earlier, at least seven people were detained in Serbia ahead of the elections.

In Serbia, the student movement has posed a challenge to Vučić’s party ahead of the elections.

Serbia’s student movement has submitted a list of candidates for the early elections.