Serbia’s victorious student movement demanded immediate resignations from top officials across the police, intelligence agencies, and the judiciary on Thursday, moving quickly to assert authority after ending the 14-year rule of former strongman leader Aleksandar Vučić.
The political earthquake follows Sunday’s parliamentary election, where the Students’ List movement swept to power and broke the unchallenged dominance of Vučić’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Although the formal transition of power requires several weeks—leaving outgoing authorities temporarily at the helm—the youth-led coalition is already pressing for sweeping institutional changes.
A Central Belgrade Turning Point
“Changes are starting now,” student Filip Ubovic declared during a news conference on Thursday. The briefing took place in a central Belgrade park that was previously a sealed-off area occupied by Vučić loyalists. “Institutions belong to the citizens and the law applies to everyone.”
The student briefing laid out specific accusations against top police and intelligence officials, asserting they served Vučić’s party during protests in violation of the law. Those security agencies have faced sustained criticism for deploying excessive force against demonstrators, conducting illegal surveillance, and applying targeted pressure on political opponents.
Rooting Out Institutional Decay
Since taking power in 2012, the SNS party progressively seized control over state institutions, weathering persistent accusations of rampant corruption, cronyism, ties to organized crime, and pressure on the media, judiciary, and police. The populists have consistently denied these allegations.
To counter potential cover-ups during the interim period, the students urged public servants on Thursday to actively prevent outgoing officials from destroying vital documentation or evidence of potential wrongdoing.
From Infrastructure Tragedy to Ballot Box Victory
The momentum driving the student movement traces back to deep-seated public anger over state corruption in infrastructure projects. Two years ago, a wave of street protests erupted after a collapsed canopy at a train station in northern Serbia killed 16 people following a renovation. The students who organized those demonstrations ultimately channeled that raw civic outrage into defeating Vučić at Sunday’s early ballot, marking the first time a grassroots youth movement has successfully toppled a well-established political leader as similar movements gain traction across Europe.
Vučić Accuses Election Winners of Revolutionary Terror
Despite the historic win, tensions remain high. Vučić held his own news conference on Thursday, accusing the election winners of revolutionary terror after groups of people stormed the Informer TV station, an outlet that had spearheaded pre-election propaganda branding the students as traitors and enemies of the state.
As Serbia looks ahead, the youth-led movement is demanding that election authorities officially declare final results without delay following a rerun at some 50 polling stations next Sunday. While the country awaits that vote and the subsequent formation of a new Parliament and government, the exact timeline for the full transfer of administrative authority remains subject to final certification by election officials.
