Serbia votes in parliamentary election on Sunday amid nearly two years of student-led protests against President Aleksandar Vucic’s government, sparked by the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in 2024.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and were scheduled to close at 8 p.m., with initial indications expected about two hours later. Serbia has a population of approximately six million.
The student movement is fielding a list of 250 candidates led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic. Its domestic agenda focuses on tackling corruption and improving education, although its foreign policy ambitions remain unclear.
An Ipsos poll published on Thursday put Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at 47 per cent, ahead of the student-backed list at 40 per cent. However, other opinion polls have shown the students leading the race.
Vucic resigned as president to contest the election for prime minister, seeking to retain political influence after years in power.
Tight race expected
Vucic has defended his record, pointing to the modernisation of Serbia’s infrastructure, including roads, railways, schools and hospitals.
He has also pledged to increase pensions and salaries, invest in healthcare and provide subsidies for young couples.
On foreign policy, Vucic has sought to maintain ties with China and Russia while keeping Serbia’s ambition of joining the European Union.
Protests put pressure on government
The student-led protests, among the largest in a generation, have called for Vucic to step down and demanded accountability over the Novi Sad railway station disaster.
Rights groups say the government’s response to dissent has become increasingly repressive. Vucic and the SNS have denied allegations of corruption, repression and spying.
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Vucic has also alleged that the student movement receives funding from foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, a claim the students have dismissed.
Relations with EU deteriorate
Serbia’s relations with the European Union have become increasingly strained over judicial reforms, the rule of law and corruption concerns.
A Council of Europe delegation on human rights has raised concerns about what it described as “hostile and aggressive rhetoric” directed at political opponents.
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned a large funeral in Belgrade for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, saying it contradicted “the values underpinning Serbia’s path towards the European Union”.
