About 150,000 people gathered in central Belgrade on Thursday in a massive rally in support of the student movement that aims to end the years-long rule of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), led by Aleksandar Vucic. The rally took place on the eve of early parliamentary elections on Sunday, October 25. (Sunday’s vote comes after almost two years of student-led protests against Vucic’s rule. Photo: AFP/Getty Images).
According to the assessment of the independent organization “Archive of Public Gatherings”, the participation in this activity reached about 150 thousand people. Supporters of the movement filled Slavija Square and the surrounding streets, waving flags with the inscription “Students are winning”, whistling and cheering for political change.
The movement, known as the “Student List”, consists of candidates supported by students and has no single leader. It competes with 250 candidates for the 250 seats in the Serbian parliament, among whom there are university lecturers, academics and people who have not had a real political career before. The fight against corruption and the demand for institutional responsibility are at the center of her program, writes The Guardian.
“We are ending 14 years of humiliation, chaos and betrayal, as well as decades when personal and party interests have been placed above your interests,” declared university professor Jugoslav Gasic, one of the candidates on the list, in front of the crowd chanting “Victory, victory!”.
“You deserve better and we know how to get it. Students are winning!” he added.
The protests that led to the creation of this movement started after the tragedy of November 2024, when the collapse of a concrete shelter at the train station in Novi Sad caused the death of 16 people. The incident sparked widespread outrage over allegations of corruption and irregularities in the station’s reconstruction work. Initially, the students demanded a transparent investigation and accountability for the tragedy, but then the protests turned into a nationwide movement demanding early elections.
After nearly two years of demonstrations, political pressure pushed Vucic to call early elections last month. He has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, first as prime minister and then as president. Now, having stepped down as president to run for prime minister, he faces one of the most significant electoral challenges since his party came to power in 2012.
As students held a rally in the center of the capital, Vucic addressed SNS supporters in a sports hall. He has repeatedly accused the student movement of being a foreign-funded coup attempt.
“Let us never forget how they tried to overthrow our country. Let us always protect and preserve it,” declared Vucic, before calling on supporters to vote against his opponents.
The election campaign has been accompanied by accusations of intimidation, arrests and use of public resources in favor of the government. Civil society organizations have warned that the conditions for free and fair elections remain problematic. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office in Belgrade interrogated six people arrested on suspicion of planning violence, riots and attacks on election day.
Polls in Serbia have given mixed results and do not provide a clear picture of support for the two parties. For this reason, Sunday’s race remains unpredictable, while the outcome could determine the country’s political direction after more than a decade of SNS rule.
“I have followed this effort since the beginning,” said 35-year-old Igor, a participant in the rally. “Today is the last rally and it is important that we all come to convey a message of love and peace, and meet on October 25 at the polling stations.”
