Serbia votes as student-backed list challenges Vucic’s ruling party
publishers 38articles 55first reported 20 Oct, 16:11 UTCdeveloping since 21 Oct · 12 editionstop 25 #17
Serbians voted Sunday in a closely contested snap parliamentary election, with a student-backed movement mounting the strongest challenge in more than a decade to Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
The Students’ List grew out of nearly two years of demonstrations following the 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. Protesters blamed alleged corruption, poor construction standards and a lack of accountability for the disaster; Serbian authorities have rejected allegations that corruption and political patronage compromised public safety.
The protests expanded beyond university students to include teachers, farmers and other groups. The movement’s slate of 250 candidates, led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, includes academics, artists and farmers, many with little political experience. It has not designated a candidate for prime minister.
Vucic called the election in September and stepped down as president to run for prime minister. He first became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017, while the SNS has dominated Serbian politics since winning parliamentary elections in 2012.
Turnout was substantially higher than in the previous parliamentary election. Independent monitor CRTA said 41.1% of eligible voters had cast ballots by 1 p.m., compared with 26.6% at the same point in December 2023. Polls were due to close at 8 p.m. local time, with initial results expected afterward.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 7 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 114 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 38
- Source articles
- 55
- Given to the writer
- 8, 4 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 7
- This version written
- 114 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
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