PROFESSORS PRESENT DEMAND FOR SNAP ELECTIONS TO VUČIĆ: Expect Them to Be Called on Monday!

Belgrade, Serbia – The Academic Plenum group today submitted a petition to the Presidency of Serbia, demanding the calling of snap parliamentary elections.

Dražen Marić from the University of Novi Sad, speaking on behalf of the Academic Plenum delegation, stated that the petition was created to support the articulation of student demands.

The Academic Plenum supports these demands and has collected 1,525 signatures for its petition. Additionally, other petitions organized by “Rebellious University” and others have gathered around 3,000 signatures from the academic community, supporting student demands and the call for elections, the professor noted.

He stated that the petition was first submitted to the Serbian Government’s registry office, and then to the Presidency. They expect President Aleksandar Vučić to be receptive and respond within a certain timeframe, as it is in the interest of all Serbian citizens for the crisis to be resolved as soon as possible.

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Marić mentioned that they had requested a meeting but understood the President’s full agenda for today, especially given the ongoing protest regarding the draft Law on Higher Education.

“This is the academic world’s support for the students. We believe enough time has passed for the government to respond to the students’ rational demands. Since this has not happened, the articulation is now towards snap elections,” he indicated.

“I don’t see a rational explanation for the Serbian President’s fear of calling elections,” the professor emphasized.

Marić believes that the sooner elections are called, the sooner the resolution of this political crisis can begin. He expects the President to call snap parliamentary elections as early as Monday, considering it the most rational and entirely normal timeframe.

“I believe they think in the Serbian Government that they have an absolute majority, so there’s no reason to postpone until autumn,” he said.

He believes that all issues, such as Expo, corruption and crime, collapsing ceilings in schools, and lithium, should be examined through the citizens’ votes in an election.

Ranko Dragović from the University of Niš stated that they are not electoral actors and know nothing about a student list, but that snap elections are a necessity for this society because much has changed since 2023. He noted that the accident in Novi Sad remains without any epilogue, and those responsible are still hiding in various European cities.

“No tender can pass; everything is corrupt. Institutions are captured. A new government needs to come to free the institutions, and four months, as some say, is not enough for new elections to be called,” he said.

He questioned whether anyone wants the current opposition to come to power only to do the same things as the current ruling structure.

“We are entering this with the sincere conviction that this is a fight for a better Serbia,” Marić concluded.