Serbia’s Vucic runs for prime minister amid student-led election challenge

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned from the presidency in September and is now running for prime minister in parliamentary elections set for October 25, facing what analysts describe as the most competitive political contest in the country in recent memory. Vucic, who first became prime minister in 2014 and later served as president from 2017 until his term limit was reached, dissolved parliament to set the stage for the snap vote. His move allows him to remain in power despite constitutional term limits on the presidency.

The opposition is led by the Student List, a decentralized coalition of civil society actors and academics that emerged from anti-corruption protests beginning in November 2024. The movement gained momentum after 16 people died in the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, sparking demands for accountability that the government did not meet. On March 15, 2025, nearly 350,000 people gathered in Slavija Square in central Belgrade, marking one of the largest protests in Serbian history. The group lacks a single official leader and excludes members of Serbia’s traditional opposition parties, which had previously struggled to challenge Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party.

Helena Ivanov, an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the student protesters have captured public support in a way the established opposition never achieved. She characterized the upcoming election as the biggest challenge for Vucic during his 14-year rule. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric expressed a different view to Fox News Digital, arguing that the public has seen through the student opposition and does not view their program as credible. Djuric cited economic growth under Vucic, a figure Vucic also highlighted in a June interview with Fox News Digital.

U.S. lawmakers are monitoring the election closely, with a bipartisan group including Senators Chuck Grassley and Richard Blumenthal introducing the SRBIJA Act. The legislation seeks to condition future aid on presidential certifications regarding judicial accountability, press freedom, and alignment with European and North Atlantic Alliance standards. Concerns persist among observers that the election environment remains hostile and that the current government might not respect a victory by the Student List.

Sinisa Vukovic, director of the Global Policy Program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, noted that Serbia’s foreign policy has remained consistent since the era of Slobodan Milosevic. He stated that any substantial reorientation away from Russia or toward the United States and the European Union remains unclear if the students win. Vukovic expects continuity in Serbia’s geopolitical hedging, with Russia likely to maintain a deep presence in vital sectors.