Serbia election: Student movement seeks to end Aleksandar Vucic's rule

https://p. dw. com/p/5OdWU Tens of thousands of supporters of Serbia's student movement rallied in Belgrade ahead of the pivotal vote [FILE: October 22, 2026]Image: Marko Drobnjakovic/AP Photo/picture alliance Voting began in Serbia on Sunday with a mass student protest movement that has gripped the Balkan country for two years seeking to end the rule of long-time leader Aleksandar Vucic and his party. Polls suggest a tight race between Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the newly formed, youth-backed Students' List. The vote comes after almost two years of student-led protests following the deadly collapse of a train station canopy in the city of Novi ‌Sad in 2024. Demonstrations demanding accountability have since snowballed into Serbia's largest movement since the fall of strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.  The scandals that rocked Serbia and are shaping the election To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Vucic faces tough election challenge After calling snap elections last month, Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, stepped down as president to run for prime minister. The Students' List is aiming to end 14 years of rule by Vucic's right-wing populist SNS in Sunday's vote. Under Serbia's constitution, Vucic cannot run for a third presidential termImage: Jelena Djukic Pejic/DW The student movement hopes to replicate Peter Magyar's victory in Hungary in April, when he defeated Vucic's ally, Viktor Orban. Polling stations close at 8 p. m. local time (1900 GMT).  Serbia's student revolt: Will it bring about change? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Natalie Muller Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.