Students in Serbia have submitted the list of candidates for the snap legislative elections on October 25 / The outgoing president is targeting the position of prime minister

Students leading the anti-government protests in Serbia submitted a list of 250 candidates on Monday to the Electoral Commission in Belgrade for the snap legislative elections scheduled for October 25. The list is considered the main rival to President Aleksandar Vučić’s political formation.

The candidates come from a wide range of fields, including academics, doctors, artists, actors, economists, and activists. The list also includes former Serbian basketball legend Dejan Bodiroga, currently president of the EuroLeague Basketball. The candidacy submission was preceded by two days of signature gathering across the country, and the students were accompanied to Belgrade by several thousand supporters.

Serbia has been shaken since November 2024 by protests triggered by the collapse of a structure at the railway station in Novi Sad, a tragedy that left 16 people dead. The initial demand for a transparent investigation evolved into a call for snap elections.

President Aleksandar Vučić, whose Serbian Progressive Party submitted its list on Saturday, accuses the students of preparing a “foreign-funded revolution.” He announced that he would resign as president on September 27 to lead the party’s campaign, fueling speculation that he intends to later return to the post of prime minister.

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