Students won. Serbian President announces: Elections will be held ahead of schedule

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Sunday that he would meet the demands of protesting students and hold parliamentary elections ahead of schedule, the Beta news agency reported. The vote is scheduled for 2027.

"I extend my hand to those who think differently," Vučić said. He added that he was pleased that Saturday's commemoration of the Novi Sad train station accident took place "in a peaceful and dignified manner."

Vučić, who has so far rejected calls for early elections, added that the specific decision on their organization would be made by "relevant institutions."

The calling of early parliamentary elections is one of the demands of participants in the anti-government protests that have been taking place in Serbia for a year. The demonstrations are a response to the construction disaster in Novi Sad, where part of the train station roof collapsed on November 1, 2024. The accident killed 16 people. Protesters accuse the authorities of negligence and corruption, which they believe led to the tragedy.

On Saturday, the first anniversary of this event, a day-long mourning ceremony was held in Novi Sad. Thousands of people from all over Serbia arrived in the city, some of them—primarily students and pupils—on foot. Serbia was in a state of national mourning that day.

The day before the anniversary, Vucic apologized to "students, demonstrators, and others" for some of his statements and called for dialogue. Over the past year, Serbian authorities, including the president, have repeatedly accused students—the organizers of most of the protests—of "terrorism" and of orchestrating a "color revolution" in the country, allegedly financed from abroad.

On Sunday, Vucic said his apology was not well-received because "youth in the throes of revolution first act and then think." He assured that the apology was sincere and stemmed from a desire to improve the atmosphere in the country.

Earlier on Sunday, the mother of one of the Novi Sad accident victims began a hunger strike near Parliament, demanding, among other things, early elections. During the day, a group of people gathered near her tent to express their support, along with government supporters, separated by a police cordon.

In the evening, pyrotechnics were fired from a tent camp used by government supporters at the second group. Additional riot police units were dispatched to the scene to separate the two groups, local media reported.

Novi Sad Station reopened after extensive renovations just a few months before part of its roof collapsed. No one has yet been found responsible for the accident.

Students, who have been organizing protests since December 2024, initially demanded the publication of documentation regarding the station's reconstruction, the prosecution of those responsible for beating up protesters, the suspension of proceedings against those arrested for participating in the protests, and a 20% increase in higher education spending. When these demands were not met, in May they called for early elections to alleviate the country's social crisis.

Jakub Bawołek (PAP)

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