Two years after a fatal railway station collapse in Novi Sad galvanised public anger against corruption and state cover-ups, a leaderless student movement in Serbia is making a historic bid for power in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Student List, a grassroots coalition of academics, actors and farmers, is challenging President Aleksandar Vucic's 12-year domination of Serbian politics in what observers describe as the country's most consequential vote in decades.
The origins of the movement can be traced directly to 1 November 2024, when a concrete canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city, collapsed, killing 16 people. The youngest victim was a six-year-old girl, Sara Firic. In the aftermath, student-led protests developed organically, blockading a crossroads for the same number of minutes as lives lost. As details emerged of botched refurbishment work by a Chinese consortium, anger mounted.
Ongoing protests were brutally suppressed, and President Vucic branded demonstrators western-backed 'terrorists'. Two years on, the single tragedy sparked a mass movement for accountability. The mounting pressure forced Vucic to call a snap parliamentary election as he seeks to switch to the role of prime minister.
In response, the student movement is fielding a list of 250 candidates approved by citizens' assemblies. Their slogan, 'Serbia or mafia?', highlights repeated allegations of links between the ruling SNS party and organised crime, which the government denies.
Julian Borger, the Guardian's senior international correspondent who recently returned from Belgrade, describes Student List as 'a bold democratic experiment'. Volunteers are collecting canvass data door to door, and running a 'Student in every village' programme targeting Vucic's rural base. The movement believes a higher turnout of disaffected voters will favour them.
Vucic is taking the threat seriously, making 129 live television appearances in August. A survey by the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) found no negative coverage of the ruling majority on Serbian television, compared to 37% for the opposition. The student movement has accused the foreign ministry of rigging the diaspora vote by keeping overseas polling stations open in areas of strong support for Vucic while closing them in North America. The digital rights group SHARE Foundation found that student movement members had been targeted by advanced spyware, and Reuters reported intimidation and beating of protesters by police.
The European Council on Foreign Relations has warned of further street protests and possible violent repression depending on the outcome, with Borger noting that neither side sees the other as legitimate, raising the prospect of a disputed result barring a very clear decision.
Analysis
Why This Matters
A victory for Student List would break President Vucic's 12-year grip on power and could inspire similar youth-led, leaderless movements across Europe. The election is a direct test of direct democracy against the creeping authoritarianism seen in much of central Europe. The outcome will determine Serbia's relationship with the EU and its commitment to rule-of-law reforms, with regional implications for the Western Balkans.
Background
The Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse on 1 November 2024, which killed 16 people including a six-year-old girl, became a national tragedy that crystallised public anger at corruption and state secrecy. Student-led protests, initially small and organic, grew into the country's most consequential political movement in decades. The pressure forced President Vucic to call a snap parliamentary election, with the student movement forming a political list to contest it directly.
Key Perspectives
Student List / The Student Movement: The movement frames itself as an exercise in direct democracy, demanding a rules-based order and an end to crony capitalism. Its candidates are approved by citizens' assemblies, and its campaign relies on grassroots canvassing and high turnout among disaffected voters.
President Vucic / The SNS Government: The government denies links to organised crime and has branded the protest movement as foreign-backed. Vucic has waged a fierce media campaign and remains confident in his base of rural and older voters, though he is taking the threat seriously.
International Observers and Critics: Bodies like the European Council on Foreign Relations and CRTA warn of an uneven playing field, with state media overwhelmingly favouring the SNS. Concerns persist over potential post-election violence, the legitimacy of the process, and whether Student List, as a leaderless movement, could form an effective government.
What to Watch
The preliminary results due early Monday morning, and whether the margin of victory is clear enough to avoid a disputed outcome. President Vucic's next move: if he loses, will he accept defeat or attempt to remain in power through constitutional switches or repression? The scale of street protests and any police crackdown in the immediate aftermath of the vote. Student List's ability to transition from a protest movement to a governing coalition.