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Seriouscorruptiongovernancestudents

Serbians vote in parliamentary election amid student-led protests

Nationwide · pinned on Belgrade, Serbia · since Nov 1, 2024

Is it still on?

YESDay 724 and counting, since Nov 1.

Last report · checked

Summary in three lines

Why they are protesting
Protesters are demonstrating against government corruption, repression, and the deaths resulting from a railway station canopy collapse.
What they want
Protesters and their political wing demand an end to graft, the restoration of the rule of law, and improved education.
What changed
Oct 25, 2026: Serbians cast ballots in a snap parliamentary election following nearly two years of student-led demonstrations.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Root out corruption
  • Restore the rule of law
  • Rebuild institutions
  • Improve education

Organised by: Student List, Students' List

What authorities say

Leader Aleksandar Vucic pushed back against corruption and repression accusations, alleged the student movement was funded by foreign agents, and during the campaign promised higher pensions, public sector salaries, healthcare investments, and youth subsidies.13

The numbers

Only figures a source states, with who said it. Estimates often differ.

Deaths
16
the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 202413

The full story

Serbians went to the polls in snap parliamentary elections following nearly two years of student-led demonstrations against longtime populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party. The student movement emerged after 16 people died in 2024 when a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, triggering national anger over alleged construction corruption and authoritarian governance. Organised largely around the Student List movement led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, the protesters have campaigned to root out corruption, restore the rule of law, and improve education. In response to the movement and snap elections called by Vucic, government supporters defended his administration's economic record while Vucic himself alleged the student protests were funded by foreign agents.

Timeline

  1. Long lines of voters formed outside polling stations across Belgrade and Novi Sad as voting commenced.123

  2. Crowds gathered in Belgrade for the final Student List rally ahead of the parliamentary vote.2

  3. Longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic called snap parliamentary elections following nearly two years of protests.13

  4. Student-led demonstrations were triggered following the deaths of 16 people in a railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad.13

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