The time for elections is now

Over the past nine months, surreal and often disturbing scenes have unfolded across Serbia. In recent days, violence has escalated: clashes between protesters and police erupted after members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party attacked demonstrators in Vrbas and Bačka Palanka with fireworks and stun grenades – while the police stood by and failed to intervene. How Serbia has reached this point is a long and complex story, writes Dr Helena Ivanov, The Henry Jackson Society, London School of Economics and Political Science.

It began on 1 November 2024, when the collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad’s recently reconstructed train station killed 16 people. What began as public outrage over that tragedy has since grown into a nationwide movement demanding change from within.

The student-led protests have become one of the largest civic mobilisations in Serbia’s modern history. Students have marched through towns and cities across the country, drawing vast crowds and culminating in Belgrade on 15 March 2025 with the largest protest Serbia has ever seen – over 350,000 people in attendance. They have cycled to Strasbourg and even run an ultramarathon to Brussels, bringing their message directly to EU leaders.

At the outset, the movement focused on four key demands, including the release of all documentation relating to the train station’s reconstruction, amid widespread accusations of corruption and negligence. Yet the government’s response has been disastrous. Students have repeatedly faced violence – being run over by cars during commemorative silences, beaten by members of the ruling party, and, in one case, a female student’s jaw was broken. That incident forced the resignation of the Prime Minister, but when the President later pardoned those involved, anger among protesters only deepened. Meanwhile, students have been smeared as “Nazis” and “Ustaše” – a chilling revival of the nationalistic rhetoric of the 1990s. To say the situation is tense would be an understatement.

After many months of peaceful protest with little meaningful response, the students have drawn their conclusion: this government has no intention of meeting their demands. Their movement has therefore shifted. The central demand is now clear – snap elections.

In these elections, the students plan to present their own list of 250 parliamentary candidates. None will come from the ruling coalition or the existing opposition – a deliberate and radical break from Serbia’s current political class, signalling the desire to launch an entirely new political chapter.

Of course, holding elections in such a polarised climate is far from ideal – especially given serious concerns over media freedom and fair campaign and election conditions. But space for compromise has evaporated. The government is determined to tighten its grip, but cannot restore the authority it enjoyed before 1 November. Protesters, for their part, are resolute. They will not negotiate with those they accuse of violence and repression. The idea of both sides sitting at a table and reaching a broadly acceptable settlement is, at this point, wishful thinking.

The only way forward is clear: elections – swiftly held, under serious monitoring, to guard against fraud and irregularities.

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