Serbian Student Movement Demands Resignations After Election Victory

Serbia's victorious student-backed movement has demanded the immediate resignation of key figures within the nation's police, intelligence services, and judiciary. The newly elected Members of Parliament, representing the Student List, are seeking a swift reset of the country's political system just days after defeating ex-president Aleksandar Vučić's party.

MPs from the Student List gathered in Belgrade's Pioneers' Park, opposite parliament, to call for the dismissal of officials accused of breaking the law, specifically targeting the heads of the police, the BIA security agency, and the anti-terror unit. The movement expressed concern that evidence of potential wrongdoing could be compromised before the new administration fully takes power, a process expected to take weeks.

This electoral outcome marks a significant shift, with Serbians entrusting a group of novice politicians—including intellectuals, professors, artists, athletes, and medical professionals—with the task of rebuilding the nation. The Student Plan, as outlined by the movement, promises to "halt the plunder, return stolen goods to the state budget, and invest directly in education and the economy."

The initial phase of the transition has already seen personnel changes. The director of Serbia's state broadcaster, RTS, Manja Grčić, has stepped down, with newly elected MP Mirjana Nikolić stating that Serbian citizens have a right to truthful information, which RTS had allegedly failed to provide for years under the previous government. The Student List also intends to replace the head of Telekom Srbija, Vladimir Lučić.

However, acting Serbian President Ana Brnabić, a loyalist of Vučić, has criticized the Student List's approach, accusing them of pursuing "revolutionary justice, not rule of law," and of aiming to silence media outlets they dislike. Dejan Šoškić, a prominent MP from the Student List and former governor of the National Bank of Serbia, emphasized the need for rapid reforms. He stated, "In the first six months, I would like to see the media scene liberated, fighting against corruption on the way, the institutions operating as prescribed by laws and a <i>lustration </i>law introduced." Lustration, in this context, refers to banning individuals associated with the Vučić government or party apparatus found to have violated citizens' rights from holding public office.

Strahinja Subotić of the Belgrade-based European Policy Centre warned that such purges will be a lengthy process, given that all major Serbian institutions have been under the influence of Vučić and his party for an extended period. He believes the new administration will need to "build bridges to the segments that have been operating well in the past."

The 141 successful candidates were selected through a detailed and lengthy process initiated by students across Serbia, tasked with implementing the movement's comprehensive plan for national reconstruction. Radomir Saičić, a professor of organic chemistry and another prominent figure on the Student List, confirmed that while practical mechanisms will be developed as they proceed, the new MPs will adhere to the students' extensive plan.

The Student List faces the complex challenge of governing a nation that maintains close relations with both the European Union, of which it is a candidate to join, and Russia. Serbia has notably avoided imposing sanctions on Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, benefiting from preferential gas prices. The EU has welcomed the Student List's victory and pledged support for reforms related to the rule of law, media freedom, and anti-corruption efforts. However, EU integration is a relatively minor point in the students' manifesto, with the bloc referred to primarily as Serbia's "most important economic partner."

Šoškić commented on foreign policy, referencing Serbia's own experience with sanctions in the 1990s and noting that they "mostly harm ordinary people and do not affect policies of a state." The new government's immediate focus is expected to be domestic reform, with presidential elections scheduled for December. Aleksandar Vučić, though legally barred from a third term, has vowed that his party will actively contest future elections.