“This action marks the beginning of our next phase of struggle, in which we are turning toward preparations for elections, involving broader segments of the population in preparing for elections whenever they are called,” a student told the weekly publication “Vreme.”
As the student explained, the signatures carry no legal weight and will not be notarized. They will however serve as an indication that it is not only students who want elections. Student leaders believe that elections are the solution to the nationwide uprising that broke out over a year ago in response to the collapse of the recently renovated railway station in Novi Sad.
“We want to show that this is not just the desire of students; by the number of signatures, we will show that broader segments of the citizenry want this as well. The contacts people leave, of course with their consent, will serve as the formal beginning of our campaign,” the student said.
Elections as a Means of Pressure, not a Political Goal
“We did not call for elections in order to take power, nor as a political goal, but exclusively as a means of pressure,” the account “Students in Blockade” wrote. They assert that their demand for snap parliamentary elections is not an attempt to destabilize the country, but instead to return power to the people.
They also add that only a new political majority, free from the pressures and interests that led to the current socio-political crisis, can create conditions in which institutions will be compelled to operate according to the law, and in which student demands – demands of society as a whole – will finally be fulfilled.
In that respect, the group of students note that the original student demands were precisely focused on ensuring that institutions in this country, which by many parameters are captured, function independently, free from pressure and control by the current regime. Accordingly, the call for snap elections became a demand in May of this year, after a series of protests and repression against citizens and students.
As the students further stated in their post, when institutions systematically refuse to act in accordance with the law, elections remain the only means by which citizens can peacefully change the balance of power and enable the system to function.
“In a situation where the judiciary, prosecutor’s office, police, and executive branch are deprived of real independence, changing the composition of parliament and the government becomes a prerequisite for any meaningful accountability,” the “Students in Blockade” emphasized in an Instagram post.
“Rebellious University” Calls for Mass Participation
The grassroots initiative, comprised of those employed in universities, schools, and other educational spaces, has called on citizens to widely participate in Sunday’s action. “This protest will be different. Spread throughout Serbia. No central stage, no speeches and programs. There will be neither Slavija, nor Autokomanda, nor a campus. Every city, every street, every signature will be important. It will prove that the desire for change exists everywhere” they wrote.
The group noted in a statement that 2025 has been a “difficult year” for the academic community and citizens alike. They emphasized that change does not happen on its own, and that institutions are only activated under public pressure and laws are respected only when everyone in society defends them together.
Over the past twelve months students, professors, researchers, teachers, and preschool educators have been subjected to various forms of pressure, including dismissals, arrests, physical violence, and torture. Despite this, representatives of the “Rebellious University” say they have not given up, and emphasized that unity protects, solidarity defends, and courage multiplies.
In addition to collecting signatures, students will also organize a bazaar at the Student’s Square in Belgrade in order to raise donations for their upcoming activities as well as humanitarian efforts, such as distributing New Year’s gift packages to children.
Support for the students has been announced by professors, associates, and researchers from the initiatives Rebellious University, the Forum of the University of Arts, Free University of Novi Sad, Free Universities of Kragujevac and Niš, the Academic Plenum of Novi Sad, the Free State University of Novi Pazar, as well as Proactive Association of the University of Pristina based in Mitrovica in Kosovo.
M.B., A.M.
