The Guardian view on Serbia’s student revolution: from principled protest to power
Two years after the Novi Sad tragedy gave birth to a youthful political movement, Sunday’s remarkable election has taken the country into a new era
TL;DR
- A youthful political movement emerged from protests triggered by a deadly tragedy in Novi Sad, attributed to state corruption.
- The movement defeated Aleksandar Vučić's autocratic government in a snap legislative election.
- The election saw a high voter turnout of nearly 70%, the highest since 1992.
- The student-led campaign focused on basic democratic renewal and contrasted with the incumbent government's perceived authoritarianism.
- The new government's immediate priorities include cleaning up civil society and reversing state abuses.
- Future challenges include consolidating domestic reforms and navigating divided opinions on foreign policy, such as EU membership and relations with Russia.