Serbia votes as student bloc faces Vučić

Serbians head to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election that analysts predict will be extremely close.

The race pits Aleksandar Vučić, who has held executive power since 2012, against a new political force known as the Student List.

The Student List emerged from nearly two years of anti-corruption protests triggered by the death of 16 people in a canopy collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad.

University assemblies in the country selected 250 candidates for the slate, none of whom have prior political experience.

Cardiologist Ilija Srdanović, a professor at Novi Sad University, tops the candidate list but does not hold a formal leadership role.

Srdanović arrived for a BBC interview on a motorbike wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket with pro-student slogans.

"It is absolutely normal to stand with my students to help them in their fair struggle," he said.

A student at Novi Sad University, identified only as Aleksandra, described the diverse group of academics, athletes, and engineers as a strength.

"We've gathered people who are actually the best in their fields," she said.

Vučić stepped down as president last month to run for prime minister after calling the snap election.

He claims the student movement is foreign-backed and aims to "bring down our state."

The Student List argues that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party dominates state institutions and media coverage using public resources for bias, a claim supported by a 2023 international election observation report that cited an overwhelming ruling party advantage caused by media bias and the misuse of public office and resources, while a pro-government camp has occupied a central Belgrade park for 18 months and attacked journalists, with Vučić calling it a symbol of resistance, and the Novi Sad disaster remains a major hurdle because the station renovation was part of his flagship high-speed rail project to Budapest, as analyst Magda Anastasijevic noted he has usually found scapegoats for past crises but not for the canopy failure, and foreign policy has entered the campaign with Vučić warning that close ties with Russia and China could be lost if the student group imposes sanctions, and the closing rallies showed a contrast between the ruling party filling Belgrade Arena with Vučić as the sole speaker and 150,000 people gathering in Slavija Square to hear student candidates, leaving voters to choose between a single strong leader and a collective approach.