Serbia’s political parties and newly formed electoral groups are finalizing their candidate lists ahead of the October 25 parliamentary elections, with President Aleksandar Vučić appearing as the lead candidate on the ruling party’s list and a newly established student-backed slate emerging as a major focus of the campaign.
According to Radar, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) submitted its list as a political party rather than as a broader coalition. The list is titled “Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia”, with Vučić himself listed as the first candidate.
Political consultant Dušan Milenković noted on X that Vučić does not formally need to be a parliamentary candidate to become prime minister or to have his name included in an electoral list. Milenković argued that holding a parliamentary mandate could nevertheless preserve Vučić’s political presence in the National Assembly if he were to leave the presidency.
Vučić has previously said he could resign from the presidency on September 27. Under Serbia’s constitutional system, however, a parliamentary mandate would not itself determine who becomes prime minister, as that process depends on the parliamentary majority and the president’s nomination of a candidate for government formation.
Ruling Party List Includes Coalition Figures
The SNS list includes several figures who have previously represented parties that cooperated with the ruling bloc, although the names of those parties do not appear in the title of the list.
Among the candidates are senior SNS officials and government figures, including Miloš Vučević, Ana Brnabić, Milenko Jovanov, Nikola Selaković, Uglješa Mrdić, Marina Raguš, Marijan Rističević, Nebojša Bakarec and others.
The list also includes public figures from entertainment and sport, as well as several candidates described by Radar as “students who want to learn.”
Former coalition partners including the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), SDPS, Socialist Movement and Serbian Renewal Movement are not formally presented as parties on the list.
The article also notes that the ruling party’s current list does not include a high-profile political figure comparable to physician Danica Grujičić, who joined the SNS electoral campaign in 2022.
SPS Leads Separate Coalition List
The Socialist Party of Serbia, led by Ivica Dačić, has submitted a separate electoral list titled “Ivica Dačić – Factor of Stability.”
The coalition includes SPS, United Serbia, the Social Democratic Party of Serbia and the Greens of Serbia.
Among its candidates are Dalibor Marković, son of the late politician Dragan Marković Palma, as well as Jasmina Karanac, Snežana Paunović, Dušan Bajatović, Aleksandar Antić, Novica Tončev, Slavica Đukić Dejanović and Marko Milošević, grandson of former Serbian and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević.
The list also includes three students and does not feature actors or athletes, according to Radar.
Student-Backed List Draws Attention
One of the most closely watched developments has been the submission of the “Students’ List – Students Win” electoral slate.
The list is headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad. The identity of the lead candidate remained undisclosed until shortly before the list was submitted.
The slate includes a number of prominent figures from Serbian public life, including former basketball player Dejan Bodiroga, former central bank governor Dejan Šoškić, athlete Mihailo Dudaš and actor Tihomir Stanić.
Other candidates include academics, doctors, artists, activists and entrepreneurs from different parts of Serbia, among them Željko Hubač, Slobodan Vukosavić, Zlatko Kokanović, Oliver Tošković, Sanja Fric, Zoran Đajić, Jovo Bakić, Aleksandar Baucal and Mirjana Nikolić.
The students have repeatedly said that they do not want to build their political movement around a single leader. They have described their goal as bringing representatives of the movement’s demands from street protests into state institutions.
The publication noted that the appearance of the candidate list attracted considerable public attention, particularly because several figures who had been mentioned in speculation about the slate ultimately did not appear on it.
Other Electoral Groups Prepare Their Lists
The SDA of Sandžak is also preparing to participate in the elections. It is described as the first and only minority party to have publicly supported the student movement.
SDA representative Dženad Baćićanin said the decision to contest the elections did not represent a departure from the party’s support for the students’ demands. He said the party continued to support what he described as the students’ “universal civilizational demands” and viewed the student-backed list and other minority parties opposing the government as potential post-election partners.
A separate minority list, “Rasim Ljajić – Human”, has also been submitted. It is led by Rasim Ljajić, founder of the Social Democratic Party, and includes the Montenegrin Democratic Party.
At the time Radar prepared its report, electoral lists were also expected from the “European Serbia” coalition, involving SSP, SRCE and Solidarity, as well as the “Authentic Right” coalition involving New DSS and Monarchists.
The final composition of the electoral field was still developing, with additional minority lists and possible new political arrangements expected before the election process is completed.
