Serbia: Students confident in victory despite pressures and threats

A List of Students is confident in the victory in the Sunday parliamentary elections in Serbia, Lusa today told one of the members of the movement, who denounced new pressures and threats from government supporters.

This list, which joined the election campaign on September 14, brings together elements of civil society without a political curriculum in its ranks and seeks to overthrow the Government of the former president and candidate for Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic.

President since 2017, Nationalist Vucic resigned from office last month to run for law enforcement, anticipating suffrage in more than a year after almost two years of demonstrations against his government.

Dimitrije Dimic, a 25-year-old law student, told Lusa in a telephone interview that she is very confident in winning the Student List and was proud of the work done by all members.

Even after being arrested multiple times and under constant pressure from the authorities and supporters of Vucic, what motivates him to continue campaigning is “solidarity among colleagues”.

“ I don't know where I found the force. It is as if every day was a struggle”, said the young man, who has worked alongside other students in the oiled campaign machine composed of media, logistics, finance, security, narrative, among others.

“ I work in almost everyone, but most of my work is on the streets delivering leaflets, stickers and insignia”, continued, ensuring that, despite the professionalism and experience gained over time, the group remains a “basic movement”.

The student movement, as well as the revolt across the country around the Vucic government, began with the fall in the coverage of the train station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which caused the death of 16 people, many of them young.

Dimitrije was part of the group of about 80 students who rode more than 1,400 kilometres from Novi Sad to the European Parliament to denounce the abuse and corruption of the government.

The action was awarded an appointment for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2025, awarded by the European Parliament for work on human rights.

A year later, the name of the application – Student List – turned out to be the one chosen since it was the young people themselves who chose the candidates on the list.

“ We had an agreement a long time ago that we would make a list of teachers, lawyers, doctors, and so on”, he explained.

“It’s called the ‘Student List’ because it’s made by students, not because there are students on the list. We thought that this would give more validity to our cause, and would give more confidence to people, because we are putting quality names”, continued.

Dimitrije is from Nis, Serbia's third largest city, but is still leaving for the capital, Belgrade, to be part of the final rally of the campaign, where tens of thousands of people are expected.

However, Dimitrije Dimic recalled the various campaign actions in which radical supporters of Vucic pursued students in the streets.

“They follow us wherever we go and try to provoke us,” he said, also denouncing physical confrontations in both his city and the capital.

According to the young man, just last week a group of men attacked the group where he was during a street action.

Although for Dimitrije a scenario of defeat is highly unlikely, even with all the “manipulations and all the electoral fraud” they attribute to the Serbian Government in recent decades, the law student has made it clear that if this outcome occurs, “massive protests” are expected throughout the country.

“ For the first time, I think the government has a really difficult opponent, who has been preparing for a long time and who has organized very well”, he said.

Vucic has been campaigning fiercely since he resigned from the position of President last month to run for Prime Minister again.

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of Vucic has already been accused in the past of electoral irregularities, including pressure and bribery from voters and inflation of electoral lists — accusations that the party has denied.

The former president, who is close to Moscow, accused his opponents of planning to steal the electoral victory of the populists, even though his party controls the electoral authorities and the judiciary.

International election observers and the European Union expressed concern about the safety and impartiality of the next vote.

Analysts fear that both sides may claim victory on election night and that Vucic will not recognize defeat if he loses.