Serbian students publish 11-point political programme calling for judicial and media reform

Student groups in Serbia have released an 11-point political programme that calls for removing political influence from the judiciary and the media, vetting the assets of public officials, lustration and the removal of police officers tied to organised crime. The plan also includes social and economic measures such as free schoolbooks, conversion of temporary contracts to permanent after 12 months, more affordable housing for young people, lower drug prices and renovation of rural clinics.

The students and representatives on their electoral list have started presenting the programme to citizens from information stands across Vojvodina. The document was made public in the middle of the campaign for the early parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 October.

Background and political context

President Aleksandar Vučić dissolved parliament and called snap elections more than a year ahead of schedule; the student movement officially submitted its electoral list on Monday. Reports say Vučić announced he will resign on 27 September and then continue campaigning from a van.

The student list grew out of months of mass anti-government protests that followed the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, an accident that left 16 people dead. Protesters have blamed corruption, opaque state decision-making and institutional failure for the tragedy and demand political and criminal accountability.

The demonstrations, now approaching two years in length, have become the biggest political challenge to Vučić since he came to power 12 years ago. The student slate includes professors, doctors, artists, experts and other non-partisan candidates who say they aim to interrupt long-standing rule.

The programme is organised into three sections labelled "Serbia or the Mafia", "Knowledge is Power" and "Serbia Grows With Us" and prioritises anti-corruption and institutional reform.

Its first four points focus on the rule of law and media freedom: creation of a specialised prosecutorial police to investigate corruption independently; freeing judges and prosecutors from political pressure and a thorough review of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; vetting and confiscation laws to recover illegally obtained public assets and a strengthening of the Tax Administration; full transparency of government contracts and public procurement with a reinforced State Audit Institution; and depoliticisation of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) and steps to "free RTS", including a review of editorial responsibility and redistribution of national frequencies.

Other proposals include ending party-based recruitment in the public sector and introducing strict merit-based competitions for jobs; free textbooks for all primary and secondary pupils; stronger links between universities and the economy with support for start-ups, entrepreneurs and farmers; converting temporary employment into permanent contracts after 12 months; measures to curb monopolies in imports; tax incentives and affordable rental/purchase options for young families and workers in education and healthcare; and state action to cut medicine prices and renovate rural health centres with new young medical staff.

Student organisers say the measures aim to restore public institutions, make state contracts transparent, and offer concrete social steps to keep young people in Serbia. They have begun taking the programme to voters at stands in Vojvodina as the campaign continues toward the elections on 25 October.

Photo: Oop / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)