Key facts
- Student List is fielding 250 candidates in Serbia's parliamentary elections.
- The movement began two years ago following a deadly railway station canopy collapse.
- Corruption is a primary issue for the student movement, which uses the slogan "Serbia or Mafia?"
- The students' policy platform was decided by plenum, downplaying divisive foreign policy issues.
- Milica Jovanović, an assistant professor, is among the Student List candidates.
A Serbian student movement, Student List, is poised to challenge President Aleksandar Vučić's long-standing rule by fielding candidates in upcoming parliamentary elections. The movement, which has been active for two years, gained momentum after a deadly railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people. Student volunteers are actively canvassing in Belgrade suburbs, aiming to mobilize voters with promises to tackle corruption and improve local infrastructure, issues that have plagued the country. Despite Vučić's resignation as president to seek a prime ministerial role and his party's control over state apparatus, polls suggest a close race, raising concerns about potential post-election unrest. The students' policy platform, decided collectively, focuses on domestic issues and avoids divisive foreign policy stances, while candidates are largely nominated by university faculties.