Thousands of supporters of Aleksandar Vucic packed Belgrade’s largest indoor arena on Saturday as Serbia’s former president launched his Vucic prime minister campaign ahead of the country’s pivotal October 25 snap parliamentary election. The rally, staged six days after Vucic resigned the presidency and cut short his second term by more than seven months, marks his bid to return to the premiership he held from 2014 to 2017 at the head of the Serbian Progressive Party’s “United Serbia” electoral list.
Key Facts: Vucic’s campaign launch
- The launch: Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Belgrade Arena — the Serbian capital’s largest indoor arena — where thousands of supporters gathered with Serbian flags and banners bearing Vucic’s picture. Dozens of buses from across the country clogged streets around the venue, and the event was televised by dozens of channels.
- The election: Snap parliamentary election on October 25, 2026, for all 250 seats of the National Assembly under proportional representation, with a 3 percent threshold.
- Why he resigned: Vucic announced his resignation on September 27, 2026, ending his second five-year term seven months before it was due to expire in May 2027. Serbia’s constitution bars a third presidential term, so he is seeking the premiership instead; if his list wins a majority, parliament is expected to elect him prime minister.
- Interim presidency: Outgoing Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic serves as acting president. A presidential election must be completed within 90 days, with the first round expected by the end of December 2026.
- The challengers: The youth-led Student List (“Students Win”), the electoral arm of the anti-corruption protest movement, holds ballot number 3 with academic Ilija Srdanovic as ballot holder. A Factor Plus poll cited by regional media put the SNS-led “United Serbia” list at 49 percent and the Student List at 37 percent.
Thousands pack Belgrade Arena for Vucic prime minister campaign launch
Supporters carrying Serbian flags and banners with Vucic’s picture filled the arena floor and stands on Saturday, capping a week in which Vucic toured towns and villages across the country in an apparent bid to shore up his popularity. The event was televised by dozens of channels across Serbia.
Vucic has been either prime minister or president of Serbia for the past 12 years, and his SNS has governed the country since 2012. At the rally he accused the leaders of the student-led protest movement of trying to “bring Serbia to a halt” and alleged, without presenting evidence, that they are backed by foreign intelligence services. “Absent an intervention of some [foreign intelligence] service, we will defeat them. And they know that,” he told the crowd.
From president to prime minister: the power play
Vucic announced his resignation on Sunday, September 27, telling supporters outside the presidency building in Belgrade: “I am resigning as president. I have faithfully served you and my fatherland, Serbia. I am proud of what we have done together.” He had signalled the move as early as June, when he told supporters he intended to step down and that Serbia would hold early parliamentary and presidential elections.
Under Serbia’s parliamentary system, a prime minister backed by a majority commands broader day-to-day power than the largely ceremonial presidency. Vucic previously served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017 before winning the presidency in 2017 and again in 2022. His second five-year term would have expired in May 2027.
The Student List challenge
The most serious threat to Vucic’s grip on power comes from the student-led anti-corruption movement that has sustained protests for almost two years. The movement grew out of outrage over the November 1, 2024, collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people and triggered some of Serbia’s largest demonstrations since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
Its electoral arm, the Student List, formally joined the race in September 2026 with backing from academics, teachers, professionals and opposition groups including the Democratic Party, the Green-Left Front and Kreni-Promeni. The list gathered nearly 70,000 signatures and was certified number 3 on the ballot by the Republic Electoral Commission. The movement has demanded accountability for the Novi Sad disaster, transparency in public contracts and an end to corruption.
The main contenders
| Electoral list | Figurehead | Polling (Factor Plus) | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia” (SNS-led) | Aleksandar Vucic | 49% | Continuity, stability and development projects |
| Student List – Students Win | Ilija Srdanovic (ballot holder) | 37% | Anti-corruption, accountability for the Novi Sad disaster |
| European Serbia (pro-Western opposition alliance) | Dragan Djilas | — | Pro-Western opposition coalition |
Conclusion
The October 25 election is shaping up to be Serbia’s most consequential vote in more than a decade: a contest between Vucic’s entrenched political machinery and a protest-born movement testing whether street energy can translate into votes. Polls suggest a tight race, and turnout — along with the ruling camp’s control of media and state resources — will likely decide whether Vucic completes his return to the premiership or the Student List delivers Serbia’s first real transfer of power in 14 years.
