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Serbian Students Rally for Final Pre-Election Event
Confirmed
In Short: Serbian students gathered in Belgrade for their final pre-election rally, aiming to unseat President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after 14 years of rule.
Serbian students gathered in Belgrade for their final pre-election rally, aiming to unseat President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after 14 years of rule. The Student List, a leaderless movement of student-backed candidates, is seeking to win more than 40% of the vote, according to political scientist Dusan Vucicevic from Belgrade University, AFP reported.
The Student List has evolved from a protest group into a political movement, with many citizens, teachers, and professors joining their cause. The movement's unorthodox campaign, which includes door-to-door canvassing, has garnered significant public support, analysts say. 'Turnout is the key,' one volunteer said, referencing the Hungarian elections where high turnout led to a change in government.
The rally drew tens of thousands of supporters, including 47-year-old Marija Nedeljkovic Radic, who told AFP, 'Young people finally gave me hope that it is possible to live in a normal country.' The movement's popularity is evident in polls, where they are polling neck and neck with Vucic's party despite the ruling party's tight control over media and institutions.
Vucic, however, remains confident of his party's victory. At a separate rally, he said, 'We will win more convincingly than ever before,' and announced his intention to resign within weeks, paving the way for early elections. 'I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation,' he told his supporters.
The Student List's success could lead to a peaceful transfer of power or, if contested by Vucic and the SNS, result in protests and potential violent repression. Traditional opposition parties have been largely marginalized, with their collective support falling from 30% to 10-15%, according to The Guardian. Other minor parties may not clear the 3% threshold necessary to make it to the 250-member Parliament.
The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, Michael O’Flaherty, criticized Serbia’s government in a report and said he would monitor the situation closely. 'This assessment is not based on isolated incidents, opposition claims or political disagreement with the government,' a joint statement by 24 organizations said.
The Guardian noted that Serbia has been an electoral autocracy, where only ruling political parties can win. The Student List's challenge represents a bold democratic experiment, but the lack of a clear political platform or leader could complicate their efforts. 'Tyrants will pass, like they always do, but the people of this country never will and they will stand tall as a monument to our joint struggle,' analysts said.
What's confirmed
- Serbian students gathered in Belgrade for their final pre-election rally, aiming to unseat President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after 14 years of rule. The Student List, a leaderless movement of student-backed candidates, is seeking to win more than 40% of the vote, according to political scientist Dusan Vucicevic from Belgrade University, AFP reported.
- The Student List has evolved from a protest group into a political movement, with many citizens, teachers, and professors joining their cause. The movement's unorthodox campaign, which includes door-to-door canvassing, has garnered significant public support, analysts say. 'Turnout is the key,' one volunteer said, referencing the Hungarian elections where high turnout led to a change in government.
- The rally drew tens of thousands of supporters, including 47-year-old Marija Nedeljkovic Radic, who told AFP, 'Young people finally gave me hope that it is possible to live in a normal country.' The movement's popularity is evident in polls, where they are polling neck and neck with Vucic's party despite the ruling party's tight control over media and institutions.
- Vucic, however, remains confident of his party's victory. At a separate rally, he said, 'We will win more convincingly than ever before,' and announced his intention to resign within weeks, paving the way for early elections. 'I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation,' he told his supporters.
- The Student List's success could lead to a peaceful transfer of power or, if contested by Vucic and the SNS, result in protests and potential violent repression. Traditional opposition parties have been largely marginalized, with their collective support falling from 30% to 10-15%, according to The Guardian. Other minor parties may not clear the 3% threshold necessary to make it to the 250-member Parliament.
- The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, Michael O’Flaherty, criticized Serbia’s government in a report and said he would monitor the situation closely. 'This assessment is not based on isolated incidents, opposition claims or political disagreement with the government,' a joint statement by 24 organizations said.
- The Guardian noted that Serbia has been an electoral autocracy, where only ruling political parties can win. The Student List's challenge represents a bold democratic experiment, but the lack of a clear political platform or leader could complicate their efforts. 'Tyrants will pass, like they always do, but the people of this country never will and they will stand tall as a monument to our joint struggle,' analysts said.
What's still developing
- “Vucic is clearly afraid of us – it’s obvious. He knows that, for the first time in 16 years, the SNS is no longer the most popular political option in the country,” Golubovic said.
- He argued that such timelines can only be determined once contributors have gained insight into the “full current state of affairs”.
- Vucic has pushed back hard against the protesters, and has also faced European Union criticism over Serbia’s democratic backsliding, including a media clampdown.
- Serbia’s upcoming parliamentary elections on October 25 have been rocked by so-called “student protests” in the runup to Sunday’s voting, and USAID funding is still flowing to an organization supporting opponents of Aleksandar Vučić.
- “Marches and demonstrations can be accompanied by a heavy police presence and may result in slowed or blocked traffic and public transportation due to road closures until well after the demonstration ends. Some past demonstrations have turned violent,” the alert read.
- The second was the hero’s funeral accorded to the Serbian general Ratko Mladić, the “Butcher of Bosnia”, who was convicted of orchestrating Europe’s worst massacre since the second world war but buried with military honours in Belgrade last month.