Arabic version: الحركة الطلابية تفوز في انتخابات صربيا

According to BBC News, Serbia’s student-led movement has won an election after nearly two years of protests that began following the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station on 1 November 2024. The disaster killed 16 people and became a focal point for anger over alleged corruption and government negligence.

The movement, known as “Student List-Students Win”, fielded candidates for all 250 parliamentary seats, although no students were among those candidates. A final projection by independent polling groups CeSID and Ipsos said 141 people on the list had won seats. Supporters gathered in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš, while the students declared on social media: “Serbia is free”.

The result ends 14 years of political dominance under Aleksandar Vučić, whose Serbian Progressive party, SNS, lost support during protests involving students as well as farmers, actors and judges. Vučić conceded victory on Sunday night, but alleged without evidence that the movement had backing from unnamed “European countries and the American deep state”.

Lead candidate Ilija Srdanović, a cardiology professor from Novi Sad, said the movement offered citizens “the core values of civilised society”. Its 11-point programme calls for anti-corruption action, changes within the internal affairs ministry, reform of Serbia’s media environment and an end to appointing party loyalists to lead public enterprises. Vučić and the SNS deny corruption and attempts to influence the media.