The student movement in Serbia, which has been demonstrating against the government of Aleksandar Vučić for six months, is now demanding early parliamentary elections.
The pressure over the deadly awning collapse at the train station in Novi Sad in November 2024 has already caused a series of arrests of those responsible for the incident, the resignation of the mayor and ministers, and the fall of the government.
Students now say that “the voice of the youth is not just noise, but a force that can initiate changes, restore dignity and awaken hope for justice and freedom.”
“We really hope that the government will support the extraordinary parliamentary elections, as for the list of candidates, we have agreed that students will not be on that list. In the future, we will agree on how that list will be formed,” student activist Nikola Lončarević told Euronews Serbia.
The solution? It’s not the vote, it’s dialogue
The opposition Green-Left Front party has said that in the last few months, the ruling coalition has lost its legitimacy to lead the country and to provide absolute support to students because they have a common goal: the revival of institutions and the democratisation of society.
“The essential demand for parliamentary elections and the opposition demand for a transitional government are the same,” Natalija Stojmenović from the Green-Left Front said.
“I think the goal is to disempower the (ruling party) SNS first, and then, with a clear majority, move towards a better society and better electoral conditions,” she added.
SPS party MP Uglješa Marković, who is part of the ruling coalition, said that the parliamentary majority is stable, as demonstrated by the formation of the new government.
The way to improve the situation in society does not go through the polling stations, but through the dialogue led by new Prime Minister Đuro Macut and university rector Vladan Đokić, according to Marković.
“SPS has never been afraid of elections, but I repeat: we are not in favour of extraordinary elections, there needs to be a four-year cycle in order to have continuity,” Marković said.
Members of the parliamentary majority are of a similar opinion. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić claimed that the student demands were just a ruse, and everything was political from the beginning.
Meanwhile, the president of the SNS, Miloš Vučević, stated that snap elections became a priority for the demonstrators “when the revolution and the demand for a transitional government failed”.
“We are ready to talk, elections are always a topic in politics. But if we were to participate in something that would lead to a disaster for the country, if they were to talk about extraordinary elections and then create chaos at the polling stations and not allow them to take place, they would immediately talk about theft,” Vučević said.
“They won’t see it happen where we get to a state where we don’t have a parliament and a government. I’ve heard those scams and tricks.”
The leader of the opposition New Democratic Party of Serbia, Miloš Jovanović, is not in favour of the idea of new elections either.
“It is a shame if the transitional government was abandoned, because it is the only reasonable solution for the establishment of fair elections,” he said.
The vast majority of liberal opposition parties in Serbia supported the call of student protesters for snap elections.
