The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is preparing to hold a major pre-election rally in Niš on Wednesday, October 21, with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expected to attend. Meanwhile, the student movement has called on citizens to ignore the gathering and avoid responding to the party’s mobilization efforts.
The rally of the electoral list “Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia” is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at King Milan Square. Vučić has invited supporters to Niš, describing the event as “the biggest party.”
Preparations are already underway in the city, including on the territory of the Medijana municipality, where the SNS lost control in local elections two years ago.
The municipality announced that it had issued an order to remove the rally stage, arguing that the SNS had once again failed to submit a request for permission to occupy public space.
Preparations Spark Criticism
The preparations have revived memories of the 2022 election campaign, when an enormous poster of Vučić covered a 15-storey hotel building overlooking Niš’s central square for five months.
Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for Sunday, similar preparations are underway, with a large poster being installed near the medieval Niš Fortress and King Milan Square, in an area described as protected.
Several residents and public figures interviewed by N1 criticized the scale of the preparations.
Journalist Svetlana Petrović described the display as an attempt to demonstrate power, while director Vladimir Ristić suggested that the extensive staging reflected a need to compensate for a lack of confidence in electoral victory.
University professor Dušan Aleksić argued that the SNS lacked a majority of support in Niš, adding that the city was, in a sense, a source of political discomfort for the ruling party.
Opposition representatives also criticized the rally. Dragan Milić of the PODES movement said the SNS was trying to fill the available public space with campaign material, while Đorđe Stanković of the People’s Movement of Serbia said he believed the gathering should mark the end of the party’s political dominance in the city.
Public Services Involved in Rally Preparations
According to N1, municipal public utility companies, including Mediana, Niš-stan and Parking Servis, have been involved in setting up infrastructure for Vučić’s latest open-air rally in southern Serbia.
The preparations have also prompted renewed intervention by Medijana’s municipal inspectors over what the municipality describes as the unauthorized occupation of public space.
N1 further reported that some journalists were confronted while photographing the preparations.
The SNS and the mayor of Niš did not respond to the broadcaster’s invitation to comment on the rally and Vučić’s expected attendance.
Students Call for Citizens to Ignore the Rally
Against this backdrop, the student movement has urged citizens to ignore Wednesday’s gathering and refrain from mobilizing in response.
The call comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the parliamentary elections, with Niš emerging as an important battleground for the ruling party and its opponents.
The SNS has presented the rally as a major campaign event, while critics have questioned the use of public resources, the scale of the preparations and the party’s approach to public spaces in a city where its political position has weakened.
