---
title: "Thousands welcome marching students in Belgrade ahead of tense vote "
url: https://moldova1.md/p/88345/thousands-welcome-marching-students-in-belgrade-ahead-of-tense-vote
published: 2026-10-22T15:00:00Z
language: en
author: "Redacția  TRM"
section: "International"
source: moldova1.md
---

# Thousands welcome marching students in Belgrade ahead of tense vote 

> Thousands of people flooded the streets of Belgrade on Wednesday evening to welcome students who marched across Serbia ahead of Sunday’s tense early parliamentary elections.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/c664a523-464a-42c3-bce7-87487cb7fc2b.jpg)

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Belgrade on Wednesday evening to welcome students who marched across Serbia ahead of Sunday’s tense early parliamentary elections.

**Rising political tension**

The upcoming vote is expected to be highly contested, and fears of potential violence escalated after police detained six individuals suspected of planning attacks on election day. 

The elections serve as a critical test for former President Aleksandar Vučić, who seeks a political comeback as Prime Minister, while the student movement aims to end his party's dominance.

With lit flares, fireworks, and victory chants, thousands welcomed the students arriving in Belgrade. The protesters had traveled from various regions across the country, walking for days to attend the final major campaign rally scheduled in Slavija Square.

*“We hope there will be no chaotic scenes or riots on election day on the 25th, though it is hard to say if they can be avoided. We are voting for the students, and we hope they win,”* said a rally participant.

**Tragic catalyst and political realignment**

The student movement gained momentum following the fatal canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, an incident that left 16 people dead. Anti-corruption and anti-government protests gradually spread nationwide, leading the students to back their own electoral platform, the "Students' List."

Their main opponent is the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), led by Aleksandar Vučić, who resigned from the presidency last month to actively participate in the election campaign and aim for a return to the Prime Minister’s office.

*“We expect victory, as well as possible attempts at election fraud. However, I believe we will manage to prevent them because we were trained to do so. We hope that everything will turn out well in the end and, with God's help, justice will be served,”* said a student representative.

Conversely, Vučić is trying to keep his party in power. During campaign rallies, the former leader accused his opponents of receiving foreign funding to destabilize Serbia, without providing any evidence.

*“Those young, somewhat innocent and naive voices calling for accountability and change were quickly hijacked and turned into part of a violent political machine designed to bypass democratic institutions. And this was done with huge sums of money received from abroad,”* said former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Meanwhile, Moscow announced it would send observers to monitor the parliamentary elections, at the invitation of Serbian authorities. Polls indicate a tight race between the SNS and the "Students' List," with fears of potential violence increasing the uncertainty ahead of the vote.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

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