Serbian Students Unite for Election List Amid Strict Vetting

A unique "Students' List" is taking shape across Serbia, uniting students from various universities and faculties who were previously involved in protests. Over 80 plenums are currently engaged in the formation process, aiming to present a unified front in the upcoming elections.

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The Students' List will be completed soon, but citizens will only see its official version once the elections are called.

The list's structure allocates 250 spots across six university cities, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, and Kosovska Mitrovica, based on student population. To prevent dominance by any single city, each major center will have a candidate at the top of the list. A specific algorithm will then distribute the remaining positions to ensure even representation from all faculties.

Eligibility criteria are stringent. Candidates cannot be current students. A significant political filter bars anyone who has ever been a member of the ruling coalition parties, including the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Serbian People's Party, and the Serbian List. While members of opposition parties are not automatically excluded, they must not have held positions as officials in parliamentary opposition parties. However, the process allows for flexibility, permitting former opposition members, even local officials, if they can significantly contribute to the students' cause.

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After the process is carried out, students vote for the proposed candidates, and those with the most votes are chosen to be on the list.

Furthermore, individuals who served in executive or legislative roles on behalf of the current ruling coalition are disqualified, regardless of party affiliation. The selection process has been lengthy, involving months of discussions to reach consensus without resorting to simple majority votes. Petar Živković, a law student, explained that at the Belgrade Law Faculty, every student can propose and justify a candidate, followed by a vote. A "vetting" process is also underway nationwide, where preliminary lists will be subject to verification, allowing each faculty to formally object to candidates.

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Since the student movement is diverse in political beliefs, and has been united from the start, 'vetoing' has been introduced, which is currently underway at the level of the whole of Serbia.