Judging by the latest initiative launched by the Students in Blockade movement, Serbian citizens can expect “an offer they can’t refuse” in the coming period. This is how the students announced their new campaign, “Student Calls,” aimed at strengthening ties with the people who have supported their movement over the past year and a half and their demand for snap parliamentary elections. According to the students, the plan is to contact all 400,000 people who left their information during the nationwide “Schedule the Victory” campaign at the end of December. In addition to speaking with citizens, the students will invite them to participate in election monitoring and other pre-election activities.
The Students in Blockade movement has launched the new “Student Calls” campaign, under which volunteers will speak by phone with citizens across Serbia in the coming weeks. According to the organizers, the goal is to strengthen connections with people who support the student movement, hear their suggestions and concerns about local issues, and jointly organize the next steps ahead of a possible election campaign.
The students added that “every phone call is an opportunity to understand each other better,” while calling on citizens to get involved.
“Elections aren’t won in a single day. They are won every day leading up to it. Great change begins with a single conversation. See you in the field,” the Students in Blockade said in a social media post.
400,000 phone calls
Ahead of the launch of the campaign, the students explained to Nova how they plan to organize and mobilize citizens, saying that the first step is to contact everyone who left their information during previous initiatives.
“The plan is to call all 400,000 people who left us their contact information on December 28, as well as citizens who signed up through other student campaigns and surveys. ‘Student Calls’ begins with a conversation. We want to hear from the people who support us, listen to their opinions and suggestions, and immediately offer anyone interested a concrete way to contribute to the campaign. Around 15,000 citizens are already participating in various stages of our training process,” the students told Nova.
They added that the phone conversations will not be limited to exchanging opinions but will also serve to recruit citizens for various campaign activities.
“We will invite people to take part in election monitoring. But elections are not won only on voting day. That’s why we need people for door-to-door campaigning, drivers and mobile teams, as well as help organizing public gatherings and reaching out to other citizens. Those who cannot participate in the field will be able to help from home by making phone calls. Those who do not have time to become actively involved can support the movement through donations. The student movement has survived for nearly two years thanks to citizens and their solidarity, and that support enables us to continue implementing our plans,” the students said.
They stressed that the goal is to involve as many citizens as possible in different aspects of organizing—from field activities to election oversight—so that a volunteer network is fully prepared well before any election is officially called.
“The student struggle has long since grown into a nationwide movement of protest. That is why we are preparing for elections now, and we want everyone who wants to help to know where they are needed,” the students concluded.
The “Student Calls” campaign is a continuation of months of outreach efforts. Before launching the phone campaign, the students organized the “A Student in Every Village” initiative, which is still ongoing. As part of that campaign, they have been visiting cities, suburban areas, and villages across Serbia, setting up information booths and speaking with residents about local issues, student demands, and the importance of civic participation. The goal was to reach people outside major urban centers and establish direct communication with citizens through door-to-door conversations.
What the SNS is doing at the same time
While the students have spent months building their strategy through direct conversations with citizens, field visits, and volunteer recruitment, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has also been actively preparing for the next elections.
Preparations for the upcoming vote, widely expected to be held toward the end of the year, have been underway within the governing party for some time. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has announced that he will travel across the country during the campaign, saying he will do so “as an ordinary citizen” and that he will drive himself.
“I will enter this campaign in a way none of them ever would, because they would campaign as presidents in parliamentary elections. I will not campaign as president, but as an ordinary citizen. I don’t need the machinery of office. I need the vote of the ordinary, honest, hardworking person. They told all of them that their hands were bloody. But no, those are hardworking hands. I will drive my own car during the campaign, and I won’t even be returning to Belgrade,” Vučić said.
That the SNS has intensified its field activities in recent months, particularly in smaller communities, is reflected in organized gatherings and events in villages across Serbia. Unlike the student movement, the SNS leadership, headed by party president Miloš Vučević and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić, has recently been organizing community celebrations under large tents in some towns, featuring music, food, drinks, and socializing with supporters.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: Elmedin Hajrovic / ATAImages