Serbia’s snap election: What’s at stake and can students unseat Vucic?

Serbia will hold a snap parliamentary election on October 25, with Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) seeking to extend its 14 years in power amid a student-led challenge. The movement grew after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people, and protesters demanded accountability over alleged corruption and the government’s handling of the disaster. The main challenger is the student-backed Student List–Students Win, whose candidates include academics, teachers and other professionals with little or no political experience. Vucic resigned as president in September before the end of his second and final constitutional term and is leading the SNS campaign for prime minister.