THE WORLD IS WATCHING SERBIA ON THE EVE OF THE ELECTIONS: The world’s biggest media outlets report on the decisive battle between Vučić and the students, with the outcome uncertain!

The day before the snap parliamentary elections, the world’s biggest media outlets and news agencies are following the race between the ruling party and the student list.

Ahead of Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, foreign media outlets say Serbia is voting in a tense atmosphere and that the outcome is uncertain.

The American AP news agency stated in an article published on October 23 that the student-led movement is trying to end the 14-year rule of Aleksandar Vučić and his party. According to the agency, the students’ call for accountability over the tragedy in Novi Sad has attracted voters disappointed with traditional politicians.

UPUTSTVO ZA IZBORE: Evo šta da radite ako ste promenili prezime, da li je obavezan poziv za glasanje i šta je dozvoljeno a šta ne na biračkom mestu!

Qatari television network Al Jazeera, in its report from the students’ final rally in Belgrade, reported that tens of thousands of supporters had gathered, while Vučić held a rival rally in another part of the city. The outlet noted that the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, which has been blamed on corruption, triggered some of the largest demonstrations in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Al Jazeera added that Serbia has no reliable, independent public opinion polls, making it difficult to assess the balance of power. According to this source, Vučić resigned as president in September in order to run for prime minister.

The American public broadcaster NPR, in a report published on October 24, stated that the student list, which includes academics, economists, athletes and engineers, represents the most serious challenge to Vučić since his Serbian Progressive Party came to power in 2012. NPR linked events in Serbia to the broader wave of student protests across Europe.

Foreign media outlets agree on the main points: the elections are a decisive test for Vučić’s rule, the student movement is the main challenger, and the events were triggered by the tragedy in Novi Sad, in which 16 people died. At the same time, none of these sources offers an estimate of the election results, as no reliable polling data is available.

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