Balkans
Novi Sad students set off on foot to Belgrade for the closing rally before the election
About a thousand students and citizens are marching toward Slavija Square, where the Student List holds its final rally on Oct. 22, three days before the vote.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 10:30 · Updated 12:21 · 1 min read
In brief
- The column from Novi Sad, led by Ilija Srdanović, covers about 42 km on the first day, to Stara Pazova.
- Other columns are coming from Zaječar, Valjevo, Šabac and Gornji Milanovac.
- The “Victory Is Calling” rally takes place Thursday at 6 p.m., ahead of the Oct. 25 snap election.
Hundreds of students and citizens set off Tuesday morning from the Novi Sad university campus toward Belgrade to take part in the Student List's closing rally before Serbia's snap parliamentary election. According to the N1 outlet, about a thousand people have signed up for the march.
The column is led by Ilija Srdanović, who heads the “Students Win” list. The first stage, about 42 kilometers, runs through Sremski Karlovci and Inđija to Stara Pazova, where participants will spend the night. A 16-minute silence was planned in Sremski Karlovci in memory of the 16 victims of the canopy collapse at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024.
Columns from all over Serbia
On Wednesday, the marchers will continue through Nova Pazova, Batajnica and Zemun toward central Belgrade. Other columns have set out from Zaječar, near the border with Bulgaria, as well as from Valjevo, Šabac and Gornji Milanovac. The “Pobeda zove” (Victory Is Calling) rally will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. in Slavija Square.
The Oct. 25 election is seen as the toughest test for the Serbian Progressive Party in more than a decade. Aleksandar Vučić, who resigned as president in September to run for prime minister, has said he expects a convincing victory and has warned that “terrorists” may try to contest the result.
The student movement grew out of anti-corruption protests after the Novi Sad tragedy. International observers and the EU have expressed concern about the integrity and security of the electoral process.
