Serbia's Parliamentary Elections Test Aleksandar Vučić as Student List Rises

In November 2024, a tragic incident at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, resulted in the deaths of sixteen individuals due to the collapse of a concrete canopy. This structure was part of the high-speed rail project connecting Belgrade and Budapest, a key initiative of Aleksandar Vučić, who had previously celebrated the facility's reopening two years prior alongside Hungary's former prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Serbia's parliamentary elections on Sunday, the seventh since 2012, present an unpredictable outcome for the first time in 14 years. Most opposition groups have backed the Student List, an anti-corruption grassroots movement led by heart surgeon Ilija Srdanović, who is poised to become prime minister if successful. Vučić, having resigned as president, now leads the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) list for prime minister, hoping to maintain his reputation despite the Novi Sad tragedy. Critics and international observers have pointed out the SNS's extensive control over media narratives and state resources.