Serbians vote on Sunday in snap parliamentary elections that could pose the strongest challenge yet to Aleksandar Vučić’s 14-year dominance of politics. The vote follows two years of student-led demonstrations sparked by the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. Protesters blamed corruption and demanded accountability before calling for early elections. Vučić called the snap vote in September, then resigned as president later that month to seek the premiership. His Serbian Progressive Party faces the student-backed “Students Win” list, whose candidates include academics, doctors and artists. Polls offer conflicting pictures of the race. Election monitors have documented media bias, pressure on public employees and misuse of state resources. Serbia, an EU membership candidate, has faced criticism from the European Commission over deteriorating media freedoms and stalled reforms. An OSCE observation mission will monitor Sunday's vote amid concerns over disputes about the result.
