Serbian Student Movement to Field Presidential Candidate, Plans Novi Sad Rally

The student movement in Serbia is preparing to present its own presidential candidate should elections be called, signaling a significant political ambition. Ceda Aleksic, a representative of the movement, confirmed discussions about fielding a candidate for the presidential race, a prospect that has been a subject of public debate.

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On Saturday, we will hold a peaceful rally where we will discuss current issues and reflect on the recent local elections. This is a rally, not a protest.

Novi Sad will host a rally on June 20 under the slogan “We Have Not Stopped.” Aleksic described the event as a presentation of solutions rather than a protest, aiming to offer concrete improvements for various issues. "On Saturday, we will hold a peaceful rally where we will discuss current issues and reflect on the recent local elections. This is a rally, not a protest," Aleksic stated. He emphasized a shift from expressing dissatisfaction to proposing actionable solutions.

Organizers are proactively addressing security concerns, acknowledging the possibility of incidents and the authorities' tendency to label protesters negatively. "The authorities are eager to portray us as thugs, so there may be people falsely presenting themselves as part of our movement in order to provoke unrest," Aleksic noted. The rally is scheduled to conclude before dark, with attendees urged to disperse peacefully to prevent any disruptions originating from the movement's side.

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The authorities are eager to portray us as thugs, so there may be people falsely presenting themselves as part of our movement in order to provoke unrest.

Aleksic also commented on the electoral conditions in Serbia, suggesting that while electoral laws provide a formal framework, their practical implementation is lacking. "We believe we must win under the current conditions because we are convinced the authorities will never agree to fair electoral conditions, as they know they would lose," he asserted. The movement plans to focus on training poll watchers, drawing from experiences in recent local elections where they provided technical support. Aleksic expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of ODIHR recommendations adopted by the government, arguing they do not fundamentally improve conditions and may even complicate the implementation of electoral standards.

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We believe we must win under the current conditions because we are convinced the authorities will never agree to fair electoral conditions, as they know they would lose.