Supporters of Serbia’s student-led opposition movement flooded central Belgrade in a massive final rally ahead of this weekend’s snap parliamentary elections. Independent monitors estimated attendance at approximately 150,000 people who filled Slavija Square and surrounding streets, waving flags, lighting phone flashlights and chanting calls for change.The gathering marks the culmination of nearly two years of sustained student protests that began after the deadly collapse of a canopy at the renovated Novi Sad railway station in 2024, an incident widely attributed to corruption and poor oversight.
What started as demands for accountability evolved into a broader challenge to the long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party of Aleksandar Vučić.The Student List, a leaderless ticket of student-backed candidates, is contesting the election as the main alternative to the incumbent government.
Campaigning has been marked by allegations of intimidation, arrests and misuse of state resources. Civil society groups and opposition voices describe the vote as a critical test of whether the student movement can translate street momentum into parliamentary strength.Crowds arrived from across the country, some having marched for days.
The atmosphere mixed festive celebration with determined political messaging, including banners and chants declaring that “students are winning.
” The election on Sunday will determine whether the movement can end more than a decade of Progressive Party dominance.
Tens of Thousands Join Student-Led Rally in Belgrade Ahead of Snap Elections
The opposition student movement holds its largest pre-election gathering as Serbia heads to the polls.
