Serbians are voting Sunday in a parliamentary election that is seen as a showdown between the Balkan country’s populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and a movement of university students who led protests against him for almost two years.
asserted
who → vote → years
Though Serbia’s 6.4 million voters get to choose from 18 parties hoping to enter the 250-member Parliament, the election has taken shaped as a referendum between Vucic’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and the youth-backed Students’ List.
asserted
election → get → Party
The main contenders are believed to be polling neck-and-neck, making Sunday’s election the most uncertain in recent years.
asserted
election → believe → years
Turnout is expected to be high and could push most smaller parties below the 3% threshold needed to make it into the assembly.
uncertain
Turnout → expect → assembly
While Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia’s fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement has proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else could in the past 14 years since his party took office.
uncertain
party → outplay → office
A students’ victory likely would resonate beyond Serbia as countries across Europe face youth and student protests.
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countries → resonate → protests
The vote is closely watched in the EU
Recent elections have been marred by irregularities and the European Union is watching closely the conduct of Sunday’s vote in a candidate nation for the bloc’s membership.
Both international and local election monitors already have expressed concern about the safety and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.
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monitors → watch → activists
Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities in Serbia saw violent attacks on journalists and activists.
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elections → see → journalists
The previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.
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vote → follow → fraud
Vucic wants to return as prime minister
If his SNS party wins the most votes, Vucic will become the prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president.
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Vucic → want → president
He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.
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He → resign → campaign
The populists’ popularity has eroded since 16 people were killed two years ago when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north, setting off a wave of youth protests that demanded accountability for the disaster and justice for the victims.
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that → erode → victims
The anger reflected widespread accusations of high-level corruption and cronyism.
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anger → reflect → corruption
Protesters said that rampant graft led to negligence during renovation work at the Novi Sad station, and eventually to the canopy collapse.
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graft → say → collapse
Despite the protests, Vucic retains considerable support among Serbia’s voters.
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Vucic → retain → voters
Admirers view him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties — the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.
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that → view → media
The newly formed Students’ List movement differs from any of the political organizations in Serbia.
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movement → form → Serbia
It is shaped by university students but none of them are actually on the list.
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none → shape → list
Instead, the candidates are little known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.
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candidates → know → ?
This approach was meant to counter Vucic’s one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity.
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approach → mean → community
The “we know how” message during the campaign promised a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia’s economy and democracy after a change of government.
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message → know → government
With their youthful energy, the students have attracted voters who are disillusioned with local politicians.
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who → attract → politicians
Vilified by pro-government media, students have cycled and walked through the country to reach voters in rural areas — Vucic’s traditional strongholds.
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students → vilify → areas
The outcome is uncertain
Election surveys have come up with varied results while both camps say they are ahead.
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they → come → results
Some analysts fear postelection instability in case of a close result.
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analysts → fear → result
Vucic has said that his side would concede defeat if it lost the vote.
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it → say → vote
But he has also warned that any protests that might erupt to claim fraud in case of his party’s triumph would be immediately quashed.
uncertain
that → warn → triumph
The state election commission is not expected to release the official tally before Monday.
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commission → expect → Monday
Magda Anastasijevic, the Eastern Europe analyst for the conflict monitor ACLED, said that electoral violence has been on the rise in Serbia recently, and could escalate, “particularly if the results are disputed.”
uncertain
results → say → Serbia
The Aporia
