Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s former president, is seeking to consolidate his political control through a parliamentary vote.
Published On 4 Oct 2026
Aleksandar Vucic, former Serbian president, has formally launched his campaign for prime minister ahead of the pivotal October 25 parliamentary election.
Thousands of his supporters filled Belgrade’s largest indoor arena on Saturday, as Vucic pledged a comprehensive victory in the upcoming vote.
The snap election, called after Vucic resigned from the presidency on September 27, will be contested in a tight race between his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and a coalition of candidates backed by a student‑led protest movement, according to recent polls.
Dozens of buses carrying supporters arrived from across Serbia, congesting streets around Belgrade Arena, where demonstrators waved flags and banners featuring Vucic’s portrait.
The rally, broadcast on numerous Serbian television channels, concluded a week‑long tour of towns and villages, an effort by Vucic to bolster his popularity amid more than two years of anti‑government demonstrations.
Having dominated Serbian politics as president or prime minister since 2014, Vucic—now barred from a third presidential term—seeks to extend his tenure through the parliamentary contest.
Should the SNS secure a majority of seats, the parliament is expected to appoint Vucic as prime minister.
Youth movement
The youth‑backed protest movement has demanded accountability for the November 1, 2024, train‑station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that claimed 16 lives.
Driven by a quest for justice and anti‑corruption reforms, the movement has evolved into a nationwide political force. Its electoral arm, the Student List, aims to unseat Vucic’s government and includes university professors, teachers, experts, and other professionals across the political spectrum.
Vucic has accused the movement’s leaders of attempting “to bring Serbia to a halt” and, without providing evidence, claimed they are backed by undisclosed foreign agents.
At the rally, Vucic told supporters, “Absent an intervention of some [foreign intelligence] service, we will defeat them. And they know that.”
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