Students reach Belgrade amid flares as Vucic rallies in Nis; six detained ahead of Sunday’s election

Thousands of people filled the streets of Belgrade on Wednesday to welcome students who arrived in the capital on foot from different parts of Serbia, on the eve of their closing rally before Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections on Oct. 25. Residents lit flares and cheered, while the marchers carried Serbian flags and banners reading “Students win!”

The closing rally of the “Student List,” called “The Call of Victory,” is being held Thursday at 6 p.m. in Slavija Square, shortly before the electoral silence begins. Organizers expect thousands of participants.

Vucic: No more politics in schools

On the same day, Aleksandar Vucic addressed thousands of supporters in the southern city of Nis and said he was confident the Serbian Progressive Party will win on Sunday. He declared that “there will be no more politics in schools and universities” and accused students and professors of acting on instructions from abroad to destroy the country. Vucic resigned as president in September to take part in the campaign and aims to return as prime minister.

Arrests and concerns

Authorities on Wednesday detained six people suspected of planning unrest on voting day. Critics see the arrests as an attempt to intimidate protesters. Polls give Vucic’s party and the Student List similar results, raising fears of incidents if both sides declare victory.

A monitoring organization has recorded more than 100 violent incidents during the campaign and speaks of a “narrowing of freedoms,” while international observers and the EU have expressed concern about the fairness of the process. The student movement began after the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people.