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

Serbia votes on Sunday as a mass student protest movement that has gripped the Balkan country for two years seeks 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

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.

The student movement hopes to replicate Peter Magyar's victory in Hungary in April, when he defeated Vucic's ally, Viktor Orban.

Polling stations open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT). 

Serbia's student revolt: Will it bring about change?

Edited by: Natalie Muller

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