Vucic runs for prime minister before vote

Aleksandar Vucic seeks the prime minister seat in Serbia’s parliamentary election on October 25. He stepped down as president in late September to avoid a third term. The move allows him to return to the role he held from 2014 to 2017. His ruling party faces a challenge from an opposition movement born of student protests.

Investigations have cast doubt on the integrity of the upcoming ballot. RFE/RL’s Balkan Service found roughly 500,000 registered voters missing complete addresses. Many records lack street names or house numbers. Hundreds of voters were listed at social welfare centers or in homes too small to hold that many people. These gaps mirror irregularities from the 2023 election, when observers reported voters transported from Bosnia-Hercegovina and instances of intimidation.

The vote occurs days before the two-year anniversary of the Novi Sad tragedy. A station canopy collapsed on November 1, 2024, killing sixteen people. The disaster sparked protests over corruption at a construction site led by Chinese businesses. Authorities used police force against demonstrators. On March 15, 2025, officials allegedly deployed a sonic weapon against peaceful protesters. Vucic resigned and called for early elections following another student protest in June.

Polling shows the electorate is split between the ruling coalition and the student movement. Vladimir Bilcik, a former European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, called the vote the first in over a decade with a genuinely uncertain outcome. The opposition has no formal leaders. Its candidate list includes university professors. Cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic heads the list, but the movement says his position does not guarantee a premiership if they win.

The government claims it followed all recommendations from the OSCE after the 2023 election. An interim OSCE report contradicted that claim. The organization deployed 300 observers to Serbia. RFE/RL noted an increase in eligible voters from Bosnia and Kosovo. These regions are key sources of support for Vucic’s Progressive Party among ethnic Serbs. Four employees of Serbia-funded institutions in Kosovo told RFE/RL they faced pressure to vote for the ruling party. Similar pressure was documented in several Serbian municipalities.

Allegations of illegal surveillance complicate the climate. A US Senate Foreign Relations Committee statement on October 21 cited reports of illegal monitoring of opposition members. Research by the Serbian nonprofit SHARE and Toronto University researchers alleged that at least sixteen cases of the Pegasus software were used in 2026. The software is illegal in Serbia. Government officials denied targeting political rivals.

International observers note a decline in freedoms in Serbia over the past decade. The Freedom House report confirmed this trend. Some US lawmakers warned Moscow may play an active role in the election. The European Parliament raised concerns about Russian influence operations. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson stated Russia is deploying resources to monitor and disrupt Serbian citizens and the student movement. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for Vucic ahead of the election.

Vucic pledged to maintain his foreign policy course during the campaign. He refused to follow EU calls for sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The student movement focused on fighting corruption. It also opposed sanctions and reiterated support for Belgrade’s stance of not recognizing Kosovo's independence. Serbia’s EU integration has stalled. No new accession chapter opened since late 2021. Democratic backsliding, unresolved relations with Kosovo, and the refusal to sanction Russia are cited as the main reasons for this impasse.