Thousands welcomed student cyclists in Kragujevac after a 10-day tour ahead of Serbia’s Oct. 25 election. They back the nonpartisan Students’ List against Vucic’s SNS; their protests began after a 2024 station collapse in Novi Sad killed 16.
Vucic announced he would resign the presidency Sunday to formally pursue a bid for prime minister if his Serbian Progressive Party wins the vote. The Oct. 25 election is seen as a major test for him amid widespread public discontent.
The students spent the previous 10 days cycling across Serbia, each carrying a copy of the Constitution as a symbol of their call for the rule of law. Their protests followed the Nov. 1, 2024, collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad’s train station; they allege corruption led to flawed renovation work. Vucic accused students and professors of seeking to destroy the state under unspecified foreign guidance, while police violence and arbitrary detentions have prompted international concern.
