Why Serbian elections are so important

Key Points:

• Serbia is holding snap parliamentary elections seen as a referendum on the future of the country, with a two-year-old student protest movement posing the main challenge to populist leader Aleksandar Vučić's 12 years in power.
• The student-led movement, known as "Student List-Students Win," emerged after a deadly infrastructure collapse in Novi Sad in 2024, symbolizing government corruption and negligence, and has since grown to include diverse societal groups beyond students.
• Vučić, who cannot run for a third presidential term, is seeking to return as prime minister and has accused the student movement of being influenced by foreign powers, while maintaining Serbia's EU candidacy but refusing sanctions on Russia.
• The student movement's candidates include teachers, doctors, actors, and former officials, promoting an 11-point programme focused on eradicating corruption, reforming media, and purging officials linked to misconduct or organized crime.
• Despite election monitoring by European observers, concerns persist over fairness due to reports of threats, violence, surveillance of opposition activists, and allegations of institutional interference favoring Vučić's party.