A grassroots political movement that defied expectations with a landslide election win is now turning its attention to systemic reform, vowing to dismantle entrenched corruption in Serbia’s institutions. Gathering in Belgrade’s Pioneers Park amid jubilant supporters, the newly victorious Student List—backed by direct democracy principles—has pledged to purge senior law enforcement ranks, including leaders of the criminal police, paramilitary units, and counterterrorism forces. Their victory, described as improbable, comes after years of frustration under a dominant populist government, with the movement framing its mandate as a fight against institutional decay. The focus now shifts from celebration to delivering on promises to overhaul a system critics say has eroded public trust.
After improbable election victory, the unconventional grassroots movement says it will prioritise dismissal of corrupt officialsIn Belgrade’s Pioneers Park, just across from the national assembly, a small crowd craned their necks to listen. One woman held aloft a placard reading “Love prevailed for the people and Serbia”. With a bouquet of media microphones in front of them, members of the Student List, the direct democracy movement that won an improbable but decisive victory in Sunday’s election, gathered under the trees.Having spent days bathing in the euphoria of their unexpected triumph, the candidates’ focus was now clear: the cleaning up of the rotten institutions that had increasingly blighted the lives of Serbs over the 14 years of government by the populist leader Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive party (SNS). They called for the dismissal of many senior law enforcement officials, among them the chiefs of the criminal police, the paramilitary gendarmerie and an anti-terrorism unit. Continue reading...
