Serbia’s youth movement has won a stunning election victory, unseating long-time ruler Aleksandar Vučić, but turning its promises of comprehensive democratic reform into reality could prove far more difficult, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
The diverse movement, which has no single leader and includes few candidates with political experience, has promised to root out corruption, free the media and restore the rule of law, which it says was undermined during Vučić’s 14 years in power.
Despite having a strong mandate for change following a convincing election victory, the new government will face countless obstacles. Public expectations are high, as is impatience after two years of mounting public discontent, AP writes.
Forming a new government and preventing instability
Although Vučić conceded defeat just an hour and a half after polls closed on Sunday, it could take weeks to form a new government, AP notes, referring to the post-election procedures required before the new administration can take office.
The process could be further complicated by the need for presidential elections following Vučić’s resignation from the presidency last month, the US news agency reports.
AP also refers to incidents following the election, describing them as relatively minor given Serbia’s deep political polarisation. However, the incidents illustrate the instability of the situation and the potential for escalation if a prolonged power vacuum emerges.
Media freedom remains a major challenge
Media expert Snežana Milivojević told N1 television that the media situation was particularly sensitive because developments were unfolding “in front of everyone’s eyes.”
AP notes that changes have begun spontaneously at some privately owned television stations aligned with the state, including Informer. However, these outlets have continued broadcasting pro-Vučić propaganda.
Both the student movement and the European Union mission in Serbia have called for calm and urged citizens to remain patient.
The students have condemned attacks and pledged to “liberate the media in the assembly, through the institutional struggle for freedom and professional journalism.”
Milivojević warned that meeting the public’s high expectations would be difficult.
Fighting corruption and reforming institutions
The student movement emerged from protests against corruption following the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad. The tragedy became a catalyst for a broader movement demanding accountability and institutional change.
The fight against corruption is at the centre of the movement’s 11-point programme.
According to AP, the new government will have to “dig deep and hard” to tackle corruption, which is believed to be entrenched across Serbian society after decades of political patronage, clientelism, bureaucratic inertia and inadequate institutional oversight.
The students have promised far-reaching institutional changes, including police and judicial reforms, to ensure that police officers and prosecutors with unblemished professional records can advance.
Their proposals include establishing a police unit accountable to independent prosecutors, sanctioning corrupt officials and reviewing major projects undertaken by the previous government. Implementing these measures, however, will take time, AP reports.
Serbia’s relationship with the EU and Russia
During the protests, the students deliberately avoided issues that could divide the movement, including Serbia’s EU membership ambitions and its traditionally close relations with Russia.
Vučić pursued a balancing policy between the two sides. Serbia’s progress towards EU membership has stalled, in part because Vučić refused to join EU sanctions against Moscow over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
This issue will now fall to Serbia’s new government. Some representatives of the Student List have already said that the policy of not imposing sanctions on Russia will remain unchanged. AP notes that this could disappoint supporters who want Serbia to distance itself from Moscow and move closer to the European Union.
Building closer relations with the West has been difficult for Serbia since NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign and the recognition of Kosovo’s independence by the United States and most EU member states in 2008, AP writes.
While Russia is widely regarded in Serbia as a friendly country, largely because of its position on Kosovo, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has said that the planned reforms could bring Serbia closer to the European Union.
Following a telephone conversation with Ilija Srdanović, a doctor and lead candidate of the Student List, Kos wrote on X that the EU was ready to support Serbia’s new government as it advances towards EU membership, AP reports.
