The Political Situation in Serbia

Serbia’s Students Could Break Vučić’s Grip on Power

Serbia’s student movement is challenging President Aleksandar Vučić’s party ahead of the parliamentary elections on October 25. Following two years of protests against corruption, the movement is fielding 250 candidates, reports TT.

“This could be a new way to challenge deeply entrenched authoritarian leaders,” says political scientist Florian Bieber.

The “Student List” aims to combat corruption and strengthen democracy, while avoiding divisive ideological issues. Opinion polls point to a tight race between the students and Vučić’s nationalist party, the SNS.

Professor to Challenge Vučić: “They Have a Plan”

Philosophy professor Tatjana Paunović has been chosen by her students as one of 250 candidates for the Serbian protest movement known as the “Student List,” which seeks to challenge the rule of President Aleksandar Vučić.

“The students are fantastic; they have a very detailed plan for how everything is to be changed,” she tells TT.

Paunović and her colleagues have not received their salaries since July. She accuses the government of punishing those who support the protests. The goal of the student movement is to strengthen the country’s institutions and its democracy.