How a Student Movement Toppled Serbia’s Longtime Strongman

The movement traces its roots to November 2024, when a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. For many, including psychology professor and now-parliamentarian Aleksandar Baucal, the disaster served as a grim testament to systemic government corruption. What began as silent vigils evolved into university occupations, eventually creating a decentralized force that proved immune to the regime’s traditional tactics of intimidation and vote-buying.

Central to this success is the "plenum"—a democratic assembly where strategic decisions are debated and voted upon collectively. This horizontal structure provided a buffer against the repression that historically crippled hierarchical opposition groups. By keeping the movement leaderless and vetting media appearances, the students denied the ruling party a single target to corrupt or discredit. This approach stood in stark contrast to Vučić’s personality-driven governance, offering voters an alternative model of civic participation.

While European Union officials have attempted to frame the victory as a win for Brussels-backed ideals, many analysts argue the opposite. Public trust in the EU has cratered in Serbia, largely due to the bloc’s support for the controversial Jadar lithium project, which many citizens view as a transactional exploitation of their resources. As the new movement prepares to govern, its primary focus remains the restoration of domestic institutions rather than immediate alignment with EU foreign policy demands. For now, the students have successfully turned the page on a decade of state capture, though the challenge of governing a fractured nation lies ahead.