Serbia’s veteran ruler felled by student-led movement
AI generated
asserted
ruler → fell → AI
The dominant force in Serbian politics for over 14 years, Aleksandar Vucic, who conceded defeat in a snap parliamentary poll on Oct 25, rose from the wreckage of strongman Slobodan Milosevic’s cabinet to the centre of power using his brand of populist nationalism.
asserted
who → concede → nationalism
For supporters, the 56-year-old represented stability, development and patriotism in a country scarred by the bloody wars of the 1990s and ensuing international isolation.
asserted
old → represent → 1990s
But opponents saw him as an increasingly authoritarian figure, twisting between the Kremlin and Brussels and leading a government accused of endemic corruption.
asserted
opponents → see → corruption
Vucic conceded his party had lost after voters cast ballots in record numbers in the vote on Oct 25, defeated by a new political force that emerged from a years-long protest movement.
asserted
that → concede → movement
“Based on a stratified sample, it is clear that we lost these elections,” Vucic told supporters at his party headquarters in Belgrade.
asserted
Vucic → base → Belgrade
Vucic rose to prominence in the 1990s as an ultra-nationalist ally of Milosevic, serving as his information minister in 1998.
asserted
Vucic → rise → 1998
After protests ousted the Yugoslav strongman in 2000, Vucic became a senior figure in the far-right Serbian Radical Party.
asserted
Vucic → oust → Party
He was then a vocal supporter of Bosnian Serb political and military leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, both later sentenced to life for genocide and other crimes committed during the Bosnian war.
asserted
both → sentence → war
But Vucic underwent a dramatic rebrand in 2008, co-founding the conservative, pro-European Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which won parliamentary elections in 2012 and has dominated Serbian politics since.
asserted
which → undergo → politics
He served as deputy prime minister, defence minister and prime minister before becoming president in 2017.
asserted
He → serve → 2017
Even after polishing his image, Vucic has been reluctant to distance himself from nationalist leanings and far-right associates.
asserted
Vucic → polish → leanings
He has stopped short of condemning Serbs convicted of atrocities during the 1990s conflicts and looked the other way as pro-government media and political allies openly praised war criminals.
asserted
media → stop → criminals
Despite trying to deny state involvement in a large funeral gathering for Mladic in the Serbian capital in September, several of his ministers attended, drawing sharp criticism from Brussels.
asserted
several → try → Brussels
A relentless campaigner, he maintained a near-constant presence on pro-government television channels, embracing locals in tiny rural villages and chastising critics during lengthy news conferences.
asserted
he → maintain → conferences
He has cultivated the image of a tireless leader criss-crossing Serbia, attracting investment and creating jobs.
asserted
He → cultivate → jobs
At the same time, he has juggled the competing interests of European Union aspirations and Serbia’s close ties to Russia.
asserted
he → juggle → Russia
Supporters praised him as a brave defender of Serbian sovereignty, spending billions of euros on defence – as he warned of foreign influence and pressure from NATO-member neighbours.
asserted
he → praise → neighbours
He often cited Serbia’s infrastructure and improved living standards as proof of his success, once pledging to make the country a “land of cranes”.
asserted
country → cite → cranes
From the gleaming waterfront district to the numerous projects unfolding in preparation for Expo 2027, his party’s slogan “United Serbia” is plastered on billboards across the capital.
asserted
slogan → gleam → capital
Rail station tragedy
But when a concrete canopy collapsed at a newly renovated train station in 2024 killing 16 people, the accusations of corruption which had dogged many of his signature projects caused an outpouring of anger.
asserted
which → collapse → anger
Student-led demonstrations calling for transparent investigations drew hundreds of thousands to the streets in the largest protests since the Milosevic era.
asserted
demonstrations → lead → era
As demands grew into calls for snap elections, Vucic and his supporters pushed back.
asserted
Vucic → grow → elections
Students manning university blockades were labelled tools of foreign powers.
asserted
Students → man → powers
In September, nearly two years into the protests, Vucic finally called snap elections for October, citing “major turbulence on the domestic political scene”, thus meeting a key student demand.
“All of this will end on Oct 25,” Vucic said, referring to the protests, at a major pre-election rally in Novi Sad, the city where the canopy had collapsed.
asserted
canopy → call → Sad
The Aporia
