The list bearing the name of Rasim Ljajic, a long-time official and minister in several governments, includes the Democratic Party of Sandzak (SDP) and the Montenegrin Democratic Party (CDP).
Eighteen lists, 2.418 candidates. Only 250 of them will become part of the new composition of the Serbian Parliament and will have the opportunity to form the government. Citizens will head to the ballot boxes on October 25, in another early election: the third in the last five years. To enter the Assembly, lists must secure at least 3 percent of the total number of votes. The exception is the nine minority lists. Different rules apply to them, namely a lower threshold that they must pass. The elections are being held in a deeply polarized atmosphere, fueled by the massive protests against the Government, which began in November 2024. Who are the candidates and what are they committed to? Radio Free Europe brings you an overview of them.
ALEKSANDAR VUCIC AND UNITED SERBIA
The coalition list gathered around the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is headed by Aleksandar Vučić. He started the campaign from the position of the president of the state. On September 27, he resigned and announced that he intends to become prime minister for the third time. Representatives of the list he heads say that in these elections, citizens will choose between a “united Serbia” and a “divided Serbia”. Vučić’s pre-election promise is that, if he remains in power, he will significantly reduce the number of ministries. Vučić has responded to accusations of widespread corruption by launching the “Ko si bre ti” (“Who are you, sir”) portal, where citizens can report “arrogant” and “corrupt” officials.
At one of the rallies, he also said that he would maintain continuity in foreign policy and would not impose sanctions on Russia.
The SNS advocates a policy of military neutrality. It opposes NATO membership, but supports cooperation with the alliance. Its representatives say they are in favor of Serbia’s membership in the European Union. During the campaign, Vučić reiterated his position that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo’s independence. For the first time, in the parliamentary elections at the national level, the Progressives are competing together with the far-right nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Its leader, Vojislav Šešelj, has been convicted by a final verdict of war crimes for inciting the persecution of the Croat population from Vojvodina. The Radicals are an openly pro-Russian party and advocate the suspension of negotiations for Serbia’s membership in the European Union, which contradicts the official policy of the Progressives in power.
The list of candidates proposed by the SRS for MPs also includes Vjerica Radeta, whose extradition is being sought by the Residual Mechanism in The Hague, as part of a process for disregarding the Tribunal. In addition to the SNS and SRS, this list also includes candidates from the Party of United Pensioners, Farmers and Proletarians of Serbia (PUPS), the Workers’ Party and the Peasant People’s Party.
IVICA DAĆIĆ AND THE STABILITY FACTOR
The leader of this list is the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the Minister of Interior in the current government, Ivica Dacic. Over the past two decades, no combination for the formation of a government after elections has passed without his party. The SPS has been part of every government. The Socialists have been in coalition with the Progressives since the latter came to power in 2012. They say they want this cooperation to continue after these elections.
The SPS says their party has “two foundations of politics: state-building and socialist.” Since the start of the campaign, they have often drawn parallels between these elections and October 5, 2000.
Then, during mass protests in Belgrade, the rule of the then Socialist leader and former autocratic president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), Slobodan Milošević, whose rule was characterized by international sanctions and wars, ended. The Socialists call those protests “the biggest fraud in the history of Serbia”. They call on their voters to “not allow” a repetition of such a change of power. The SPS is considered a pro-Russian party and opposes the imposition of sanctions on Russia. It supports cooperation with China. At the same time, it is committed to Serbia’s membership in the EU. The Socialists’ list also includes the United Serbia party, the Greens of Serbia, as well as some representatives of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia.
STUDENT LIST
Students in Serbia are participating in parliamentary elections for the first time with their own list. The student movement was created after massive protests against the government, which erupted after the collapse of a train shelter at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, when 16 people lost their lives. They accuse the current government of the accident being a result of widespread corruption in the country. The announcement of early parliamentary elections was one of their demands.
The fight against corruption and organized crime, systemic changes and independent institutions are the main themes of the “Students Win” list’s program. They consider that cooperation with the European Union is necessary, but that EU membership is an issue on which citizens should express their opinion through a referendum. At the same time, they oppose the imposition of sanctions on Russia. So far, they have not taken a clear position on NATO. Their position is that Kosovo is “an inseparable part of Serbia”. Most of the candidates on the student list have never held state positions.
The first on the list is Ilija Srdanović, professor of emergency medicine and cardiologist at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina. Among the candidates are also university professors, teachers, lawyers, economists, athletes and artists. The students emphasize that the list does not have a single political leader and that they selected the candidates in plenary assemblies, which were attended by students from all state faculties. Their list was supported by several opposition parties that have so far been represented in parliament, as well as dozens of non-governmental organizations and civic movements.
RASIM LJAJIC AND THE PEOPLE
The list named after Rasim Ljajic, a long-time official and minister in several governments, includes the Democratic Party of Sandzak (SDP) and the Democratic Party of Montenegro (CDP). Under the slogan “It is time for normality”, the coalition is conveying during the campaign the message that it is committed to reducing tensions in society and to dialogue between the government and the opposition. They aim to win as many mandates as possible, so that, during the sharing of power after the elections, they “have their say” on certain issues. They say that they will talk to “anyone who invites them” and who will be able to create a parliamentary majority.
Regarding Kosovo, Ljajić believes that Serbia should not recognize the independence that Kosovo declared in 2008, but supports the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. He also believes that, “despite all the shortcomings”, Serbia has no alternative to the European path. According to him, sanctions against Russia should be imposed only when the country is close to EU membership. Ljajić is not a candidate for MP, but is actively participating in the campaign. On the eve of the elections, he resigned from the post of chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia, which is not a national minority party and is running in these elections in coalition with the SPS.
ALLIANCE OF HUNGARIANS OF VOJVODINA AND BALINT PASTOR
This list also has the status of a national minority list. The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) is the largest party of this community in Serbia. It is committed to protecting the interests of the Hungarian national minority. As the main points of its program, the SVM also mentions the fight against “illegal migration”, European integration and the strategic partnership between Serbia and Hungary. In previous years, it was part of the governing coalition with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
For the SVM, these will be the first elections since the change of power in Hungary in April, when its ally, Viktor Orban, and his Fidesz party lost power after 16 years.
USAME ZUKORLIC (SPP) AND THE UNITY MOVEMENT
The bearer of this list of the Bosniak national minority is the leader of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation, Usame Zukorlic. They have stated that one of their goals is to improve relations with neighboring countries in the Region. They place special emphasis on relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo. The SPP is a pro-European party. Zukorlic has previously stated that he believes that Serbia will, nevertheless, one day join NATO. Since 2022, this party has ministers in the Government of Serbia. However, at the end of 2025, Zukorlic publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with cooperation with the ruling party. (RFE)