Thousands gather at final student-led rally ahead of Serbia election
The student movement aims to end Vucic's 14 years of rule at Sunday's vote, as he holds a rival rally across town.
On Thursday, approximately 150,000 supporters of Serbia's opposition Student List gathered in central Belgrade, aiming to unseat the incumbent party led by veteran leader Aleksandar Vucic in an upcoming parliamentary election. The Student List, comprised of student-backed candidates with no established leader, seeks to end more than a decade of rule by Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
This poses the most significant challenge Vucic has encountered, with civil society groups highlighting a campaign marred by intimidation, arrests, attacks, misuse of public resources, and a distorted media environment.
47-year-old Marija Nedeljkovic Radic expressed her support for the Student List, stating that for the first time in her life, she believes a normal country is possible. Around 150,000 people attended the rally, as reported by the independent crowd-monitoring group Archive of Public Gatherings on X. The election follows nearly two years of student-led protests initiated by the 2024 collapse of a canopy at the newly renovated Novi Sad railway station, which resulted in 16 deaths.
Initially fueled by demands for a transparent investigation into the tragedy, the protests evolved into a call for early elections against corruption.
Waving "Students Are Winning" banners and chanting, students and supporters marched through Belgrade before converging on Slavija Square, the location of many of their previous protests. The rally concluded with candidates stepping into the crowd, holding the Serbian constitution, and performing a traditional folk dance. Vucic, who dominates Serbian politics for over a decade, has dominated Serbian politics, recently announcing the snap election to face his most substantial electoral challenge since his party's 2012 ascent to power.
Despite Vucic's accusations of a foreign-funded coup attempt, students are optimistic about their chances, projecting more than 40% of the vote, significantly higher than any opposition list since the SNS took control.
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- Huge crowds gather at final pre-election rally of Serbia’s students winnipegfreepress.com
- Around 150,000 rally in Belgrade as Serbia heads to pivotal poll nst.com.my
