Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), are weighing two distinct strategic options for their upcoming presidential candidate, political insiders told the independent daily Danas.
The final selection may be unveiled on Vidovdan (June 28) during a massive planned political rally in Belgrade. Sources also hint that Vučić might use the symbolic holiday to announce a presidential pardon for Mila Pajić, the Novi Sad student activist currently living in political exile.
1. Option A: The Non-Party Academic Shield
The first path under consideration is selecting a highly visible, non-SNS public figure from academic or intellectual circles who has consistently demonstrated loyalty to the regime.
- The Vetting Process: Internal polling indicates that high-profile constitutional lawyer Vladan Petrov is currently scoring poorly in voter readiness models.
- Alternative Intellectuals: The party is actively testing the polling strength of controversial right-wing history professor Čedomir Antić and other media-friendly academics.
- The Counter-Strategy: These intellectual figures are being measured specifically to neutralize the potential candidacy of Belgrade University Rector Vladan Đokić, who is rumored to run under the banner of an escalating Students’ Movement.
2. Option B: The Uncompromised Local Cadre
The second path relies on fielding an internal party member, but the catastrophic fallout from the Novi Sad railway canopy collapse has completely rearranged the internal hierarchy.
Internal SNS Candidate Viability Index
[ MILOŠ VUČEVIĆ ] ──► FORMAL SNS LEADER
• STATUS: Severely Damaged / Low Viability
• RISK ANALYSIS: Carries a crushing political liability and heavy emotional blowback
from the Novi Sad tragedy. Regarded as too toxic for a national general election.
[ DRAGOSLAV PAVLOVIĆ ] ──► MAYOR OF NIŠ
• STATUS: High Viability / Frontrunner for Option B
• RISK ANALYSIS: Viewed as a clean, "least compromised" local leader. Lacks the corrupt
reputation of the central Belgrade party apparatus.
3. The Parallel Parliamentary Strategy: “Stealing the Narrative”
The presidential race will run alongside an early parliamentary election. To win back public support, the SNS is planning a complete rebrand focused on internal housecleaning and anti-corruption:
- The Pivot: The upcoming parliamentary list will feature an unprecedented number of students and non-party individuals.
- The Slogan Battle: The goal is to hijack the rhetoric of the active Student Movement. The party plans to dust off and reuse their “Serbia Wins” (Srbija pobeđuje) slogan—a direct copy of the students’ “Students Win” (Studenti pobeđuju) mantra—claiming historic ownership from the 2016 election cycle.
4. The Coexistence Plot: A Planned Exit?
| Scenario Variable | Geopolitical Alignment | Long-Term Political Objective |
| The Controlled Loss | Washington or Brussels | SNS purposely loses the presidency to a moderate opposition or academic figure via a quiet back-room deal. |
| The Cohabitation Era | Domestic Re-alignment | Vučić slides into the Prime Minister slot, mirroring the old Tadić-Koštunica governance model. |
| The Safest Exit | Personal Immunity | Creates a transitional period allowing Vučić to engineer a gradual, politically safe exit from total power. |
While Vučić has repeatedly stated he would never accept cohabitation, insiders point out his long history of reversing public promises. This strategic retreat would explicitly rule out long-time coalition partner Ivica Dačić, as the position must go to an outsider to appear credible to Western observers.
The Return of Tomislav Nikolić
Political analysts noted the highly publicized reappearance of SNS founder and former President Tomislav Nikolić at the Russian Embassy’s “Russia Day” reception. Specialized, highly classified internal polls suggest that among the older, traditional progressive base, Nikolić still holds the highest personal approval ratings of any figure outside of Vučić himself, keeping him alive as a wild-card institutional option.
