On 1 November 2024 the concrete canopy of the railway station in Novi Sad, reopened months earlier after renovation, fell on people waiting beneath it and killed sixteen. Students blamed corruption in public contracts, occupied their universities and began the longest protest movement Serbia has seen. They asked first for documents and prosecutions, then for elections. President Aleksandar Vucic, who has dominated the country since 2012, refused for a year and a half, then called a parliamentary vote for October 2026.
The regional picture: Protest and power in the Western Balkans.
Where it stands · September 2026
On 8 September Bosnia expelled Serbian diplomats after the funeral of Ratko Mladic. The next day Serbia's president called snap elections for October. On 11 September he said he would resign in late September. On 14 September he said he would run for prime minister amid student protests. On 27 September he resigned to run for prime minister. A parliamentary election and a change of officeholder at the head of government are set for the same autumn.
What the dispute is about
Who is responsible for the dead. The station was renovated by a Chinese consortium with local subcontractors under a confidential contract. Thirteen people were indicted, among them a former minister; courts returned the case and no senior figure has been tried.
Whether an election can be fair. The governing party controls the national broadcasters, the public payroll and the voter lists. International observers called recent elections free in form and unequal in practice.
Where Serbia belongs. It is a candidate for the European Union that refuses sanctions on Russia, buys Chinese weapons, and honours men whom international courts convicted.
