Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has expressed confidence that his ruling coalition will win the next parliamentary elections, predicting victory not only nationwide but also in key cities including Belgrade and Novi Sad. His comments come despite several opinion polls suggesting that a student led opposition list is currently ahead of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
“Following these fascinating polls, I expect a victory even in Belgrade, not just at the national level, where I anticipate winning by a significant margin, but in Belgrade as well, which by extension includes Novi Sad,” Vucic said on Thursday.
The president has faced more than a year of mass street protests following the fatal canopy collapse at Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people. Vucic has repeatedly promised snap elections as a concession to demonstrators, but he has yet to announce a firm date.
The timing of the next Serbian parliamentary elections remains uncertain, despite elections being a major demand of students and parts of the opposition. Vucic said in late June that early elections would be held within three to four months and indicated that he intends to resign the presidency, a move widely interpreted as potentially paving the way for him to become prime minister.
Polls Put Student List Ahead
The contrast between Vucic’s confidence and available polling highlights the challenges facing his political movement. A CRTA survey conducted in October 2025 found that 44% of respondents said they would vote for the “student list,” compared with 32% who supported Vucic’s movement. The same survey found that 58% supported the protests, while 39% opposed them.
The student led movement has become the most significant challenge to Vucic and the SNS since they came to power in 2012. Protesters have demanded accountability over the Novi Sad railway station disaster, the publication of related documentation and broader measures to address corruption and institutional accountability.
The demonstrations, which began in November 2024 and continued throughout 2025, grew into some of the largest protests in Serbia since the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Vucic’s government has responded forcefully, with hundreds of people detained, while international human rights organizations have accused Serbian authorities of excessive force and arbitrary arrests. The president has also faced criticism from the European Union over concerns about democratic backsliding and pressure on the media.
Vucic’s current strategy appears aimed at projecting confidence while retaining control over the election timetable. He said he has visited Novi Sad around a dozen times during the past six or seven months and announced plans to attend a major rally there in less than a month, with additional large scale gatherings reportedly being planned for Belgrade.
However, similar promises have not always materialized. Since the protests began, Vucic has repeatedly announced plans for a major ruling party rally in Novi Sad, but those events have yet to take place. Political analysts therefore expect the timing of any election announcement to be closely calculated, potentially taking into account internal polling and the summer holiday period, when some opposition voters may be away.
Under Serbia’s Constitution, parliamentary elections must be held between 45 and 60 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly. Vucic has frequently relied on snap elections with relatively short campaign periods, an approach that can benefit the SNS because of its extensive activist network and organizational capacity.
For now, Vucic’s confident predictions remain at odds with polling that places the student opposition ahead, as well as with the unresolved protests and continuing public pressure over the Novi Sad tragedy. The next election could therefore become an important test of whether the student movement can translate its substantial protest support into electoral strength.
