Serbia election: students hold final Belgrade rally before Oct. 25

Key takeaways

• Serbia's student-led protest movement, which began after a deadly railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November 2024, is holding its final campaign rally at Slavija Square in Belgrade on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
• The rally comes three days before a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, October 25, in which the students' electoral list faces the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned as president in September to run for prime minister.
• The Associated Press reports that the two sides are believed to be running close, and that tensions and fears of violence are rising. International monitors and the European Union have voiced concern about the fairness and safety of the vote.
• Crowd figures are contested: for the students' May 23 rally at the same square, an independent monitoring group estimated 180,000 to 190,000 people, while the Interior Ministry said about 34,000.
• Vucic accuses the movement of trying to bring Serbia "to a halt" with foreign backing, a claim AP notes he has not supported with evidence. The students say they want to replace a government they call corrupt and rebuild independent institutions.

Serbia's student protest movement holds its final rally at Slavija Square in Belgrade on October 22, 2026, three days before the Serbia election on Sunday, October 25. Their list faces Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and AP reports the race is believed to be close.

Background: from Novi Sad to the ballot box

On November 1, 2024, a concrete canopy collapsed at the railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second city, killing 16 people. The station had recently been renovated. Students blamed the deaths on corruption and negligence in public works and demanded that those responsible be held to account, Al Jazeera and AP reported. No one has yet been held responsible, according to Al Jazeera.

The protests that followed grew into some of the largest Serbia has seen in decades. They forced the collapse of the government, AP reported, and drew in teachers, farmers, lawyers and other groups. The movement's core complaint widened from one disaster to what protesters describe as corruption, a lack of transparency and political interference in state institutions, including the media. The government denies those accusations.

In late September, Vucic, who was barred from a third presidential term, formally resigned as president to lead his party's list in the snap parliamentary election. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a close ally, became acting president until a presidential election is held. Among his final acts as president, Vucic said he had pardoned 49 people, including 23 convicted in connection with the protests, Al Jazeera reported.

Key numbers

What is happening this week

• September 27: Vucic submits his resignation as president to run for prime minister in the October 25 election, Al Jazeera reported.
• October 3: Thousands of supporters fill Belgrade Arena for the de facto launch of Vucic's campaign. Dozens of buses brought supporters from across the country, AP reported.
• October 11-12: At a rally in Nis, the students announce that their final campaign rally will be held on October 22 at Slavija Square under the slogan "Victory Calling," according to the FoNet agency as published by N1.
• October 16-19: Columns of students and supporters set off on foot for Belgrade. The first left Zajecar in eastern Serbia on October 16 for a five-day walk, N1 reported, and columns from Gornji Milanovac, Valjevo and Sabac were scheduled to leave on October 18 and 19, according to the Beta agency.
• October 19: The students say their meetings are being monitored and that authorities are planning new detentions, AP reported. The government has not publicly confirmed or addressed those claims in the reporting reviewed.
• October 22: Final student rally in Belgrade. AP expects tens of thousands of people.
• October 25: Election day.

What the students want

The movement's electoral list, known as the Student List or "Students Win," picked its candidates through proposals and vetting at universities across the country, AP reported. Its 250 candidates are mostly university professors and other professionals, according to Al Jazeera, alongside teachers, athletes, farmers and artists. Several opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, have backed the list rather than competing against it.

One student told AP that the aim is to replace a government "plagued by corruption and mafia" and rebuild democratic institutions, including independent media. The list also presents plans for economic and social revival. Students' original demands, including full publication of documents on the Novi Sad renovation and prosecution of those responsible, remain central to their message.

How the government responds

Vucic and his party reject the accusations of corruption and media control. At his October 3 rally, he accused those behind the protest movement of wanting to "bring Serbia to a halt" and said it was backed by unspecified foreign agents, AP reported, adding that he provided no evidence. "Absent an intervention of some (foreign intelligence) service, we will defeat them," he told supporters.

Vucic has also accused opponents of planning to steal his party's victory. Asked by CNN what he would do if he lost, he said he would acknowledge the result and congratulate his opponents the same evening, Al Jazeera reported.

Critics say the playing field is uneven. AP reported that the SNS controls the election authorities and the judiciary and has been accused of irregularities, including pressuring and bribing voters and inflating voter lists, accusations the party denies. Rights and media freedom groups have warned of police violence, arbitrary detentions, unauthorized surveillance and threats against journalists. AP also reported that Vucic has pushed back against the movement with detentions and accusations of anti-state activity.

What it means

• A rare test for a protest movement: If the students win or come close, it would be one of the clearest cases in Europe of a leaderless street movement turning into an electoral force. If they fall short, the SNS will claim a fresh mandate after two years of protest.
• Risk of a disputed result: AP reports that analysts fear both sides could claim victory on election night. One Belgrade political scientist told AP: "We all fear extreme violence." A former parliamentarian told Al Jazeera she feared the crisis could begin only after the vote.
• The EU dimension: Serbia is an EU candidate country. European institutions have warned of democratic backsliding in successive reports, and the EU has voiced concern about the safety and fairness of this election. A credible vote, and a peaceful transfer or retention of power, matters for Serbia's accession path and for regional stability.
• For Vucic: Moving from the presidency to the premiership would let him keep leading the country despite the two-term presidential limit. His critics see that as a way to extend his rule; his supporters see it as a democratic choice for voters.

What comes next

• Thursday, October 22: The Belgrade rally. Watch for crowd estimates from both the Interior Ministry and independent counters, which have differed widely in the past, and for whether the day passes peacefully.
• Sunday, October 25: Polls open across Serbia. Preliminary results from the electoral commission and parallel counts by observer groups are expected overnight.
• After the vote: Observer reports, any legal challenges, and the reaction of both camps on the streets. A presidential election to replace Vucic must also be scheduled.

Polling in Serbia is limited and its methodology is often hard to verify independently, Al Jazeera noted, so claims of a lead by either side should be treated with caution.

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• France's Riots and Europe's Cost-of-Living Protests, Explained

Sources

• AP (via La Nacion): From protests to election, Serbia's students mount a challenge to Vucic
• Al Jazeera: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns amid prolonged protests
• AP (via News4JAX): Thousands pack arena in Belgrade as Vucic launches prime minister bid
• N1: Student List announces final campaign rally in Belgrade on October 22
• N1: Students and supporters set off on foot from Zajecar for Belgrade rally
• European Western Balkans: Second largest protest in Serbian history held on Saturday