A grassroots student movement in Serbia is launching an unprecedented political challenge by fielding its own candidates in upcoming parliamentary elections, marking the first direct electoral test for the ruling party’s dominance in over a decade. Using data-driven canvassing techniques—including a mobile app to track support—volunteers from the protest-driven Student List are campaigning in Belgrade’s suburbs, blending digital organization with door-to-door outreach. The effort reflects two years of sustained demonstrations against the government, positioning the movement as the most significant opposition force to emerge during the ruling party’s prolonged tenure. With elections approaching, the campaign’s success could reshape Serbia’s political landscape after years of centralized control.
Unorthodox campaign is challenging the ruling party’s 12-year reign with a bold democratic experimentOn a cool autumn evening, a team of Serbian student volunteers went canvassing in the housing estates of Krnjača, a Belgrade suburb. They were equipped with lanyards emblazoned with the word “victory”, a stock list of questions and a mobile app that mapped visited homes and the level of support in each.The volunteers were part of a mass student movement, Student List, that has rocked Serbia with two years of constant protests. On Sunday, the group will represent the most serious challenge Aleksandar Vučić has faced in his 12 increasingly authoritarian years in power, by putting forward their own candidates in parliamentary elections. Continue reading...
