Why a student protest movement is challenging 12 years of Vučić rule in Serbia

Rallies have been taking place across Serbia on Thursday, the final day of campaigning ahead of a Snap election billed as a referendum on the country's future.After two years of Student Protests, Serbians vote for a new parliament on Sunday in elections that threaten populist leader Aleksandar Vučić's 12 years in power.The main threat to Vučić's dominance in Serbian politics comes from a two-year-old student movement, but there are concerns surrounding the fairness of the vote.Why is this student movement so important?They have no obvious leaders and are not used to politics, but the "Student List-Students Win" movement has attracted anti-government voters across Serbia. The Student List is fielding candidates from across Serbian society - and as he joined students marching towards Belgrade, lead candidate and cardiologist Ilija Srdanović said history was being rewritten: "The energy is unstoppable."It all began on 1 November 2024, when the concrete canopy collapsed outside Novi Sad train station, in Serbia's second biggest city, killing 16 people.The tragedy was seen as emblematic of Corruption and negligence in Serbia. Critics linked the station's fatally flawed renovation to a president who had closely associated himself with the project.