Students leading Serbia’s anti-government protest movement launched their first pre-election campaign rally in Novi Sad on Thursday, presenting several candidates who will appear on their electoral list for the October 25 parliamentary elections.
The rally was held in the center of Novi Sad, outside the Serbian National Theatre, where student representatives also addressed supporters and outlined their decision to enter the elections with their own list.
Among the candidates presented were Nemanja Đurić, president of the Judicial Authority Trade Union; Ilija Srdanović, a Novi Sad cardiologist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine; Ljubica Oparnica, a professor at the Faculty of Education in Sombor; and Jovo Bakić, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. All four addressed the crowd from the stage.
Student representative Vukašin Đinović said citizens had been demanding accountability for the Novi Sad railway station tragedy for almost two years.
“The only way to fight for justice is to fight for it in elections,” Đinović said.
He also accused the authorities of attempting to intimidate the student movement, saying activists had faced pressure, surveillance, arrests and violence but had refused to abandon their campaign.
“We have not given up,” Đinović told the gathering.
The October 25 snap parliamentary elections were one of the key demands of the student movement, which emerged from mass anti-government protests following the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024. Sixteen people were killed and another was seriously injured in the disaster.
Students have now decided to participate in parliamentary elections for the first time with their own electoral list. They have previously said that members of the student movement themselves will not stand as candidates, instead presenting individuals from outside the movement.
The full list of candidates has not yet been announced.
Part of Serbia’s opposition has decided not to contest the elections and instead support the student-backed list. Some public opinion polls suggest the election could represent the most competitive parliamentary contest since the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power.
President Aleksandar Vučić remains head of state, while the SNS has announced that he will be the holder of its electoral list and its candidate for prime minister if the party wins.
The elections will also take place amid continued controversy over electoral conditions. The December 2023 parliamentary elections were followed by allegations from the opposition, civil society groups and international observers of serious irregularities, voter pressure, misuse of public resources and campaigning by public officials.
While the authorities maintain that electoral conditions have since been improved in line with recommendations from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), domestic organizations continue to argue that major problems remain unresolved.
The student movement’s entry into the electoral contest therefore marks a major shift from months of street protests toward direct participation in Serbia’s political system, potentially turning the October election into a pivotal test for both the government and the opposition.
