Belgrade Residents Clean Park After Student List Election Victory

Following a decisive performance in Serbia’s parliamentary elections, supporters of the Student List gathered in Belgrade’s Pioneers Park on the morning after their victory to clear the area, which had previously served as a pro-government stronghold. Armed with bin bags, volunteers worked alongside municipal staff to restore the green space, located directly across from the national assembly building. Binbag-wielding volunteers clear encampment used by thugs to intimidate opponents of deposed government.

For the past 18 months, this site had been treated as a no-go zone. A camp identified as Ćaciland had occupied the space with white tents, housing convicted criminals who were known to intimidate or assault journalists and others who wandered too close. Throughout that period, police remained present but failed to intervene in the violence occurring at the site. This small patch of greenery – with its established trees and playground – had been a no-go zone, for the previous 18 months.

Tensions remained high as the polls closed on election night, with groups of masked, black-clad individuals gathering near the park. These scenes led many to fear that the Serbian Progressive party (SNS) would attempt to resist relinquishing power. However, shortly after voting ended and before results were even projected, Aleksandar Vučić announced at the SNS headquarters that his party had been comprehensively defeated by the Student List. It seemed that thuggery might be on the cards again, on election night.

During his address, Vučić stated he did not want any unrest or similar activity on the streets. Following his declaration, riot police withdrew and the barricades around Pioneers Park were dismantled. The men guarding the encampment quickly departed, allowing Student List supporters to swarm the area and dismantle the remnants of Ćaciland, with some setting fire to tents.

The effort to clean the park aligns with the movement’s history of participating in anti-corruption protests over the past two years, during which participants consistently tidied up after their demonstrations. Hundreds of volunteers joined the cleanup, disinfecting children’s playground equipment and removing cigarette butts and other refuse from the grass. Participant Radomir Dalic described the atmosphere as the smell of freedom, expressing relief that the park was finally cleared of individuals who had harbored violent intentions. “Yesterday was a big victory, so today is the smell of freedom,” he added. “We are in garbage, but it’s the smell of freedom.”. The pitch that secured victory in 2012 for Vučić and the SNS, most of these points deal with anti-corruption measures – ironically. A clean-up for public institutions – little is clear, but beyond the domestic priorities – in essence.

Volunteer Tamara Tomic, wearing yellow rubber gloves, noted that the cleanup effort reflects a desire to enjoy the city and live a life free from violence and intimidation. Despite the momentum, the path forward for the Student List remains unconventional. The movement operates without a formal leader or strict hierarchy, having selected its candidates through student assemblies rather than traditional party mechanisms. Tamara Tomic wore yellow rubber gloves for the occasion – and radiated similar pride in taking part. “Gathering here and cleaning this place just shows that we want to live nicely,” she said. “We want to enjoy the city, enjoy a normal life without violence and without anyone torturing us.”. In fact, Serbian voters have taken something of a leap into the unknown – because this is a movement that operates unlike a traditional political party. With nominations ranging from academics to athletes, economists to engineers, its candidates were chosen by a series of student assemblies. But his confidence does little to reassure those who have noticed that the broad spread of views held by Student List candidates could lead to trouble.

Although the coalition published an 11-point plan focusing on anti-corruption measures, judicial reform, media freedom, and healthcare improvements, they entered the election without designating a candidate for prime minister. This ambiguity has prompted concern from experts like Kurt Bassuener of the Democratization Policy Council, who fears potential internal fissures may emerge once the initial euphoria of the election results subsides. Media freedom, affordable housing and improved access to healthcare, with the promise of “a doctor in every village”, other commitments include judicial reform. The thinktank chief added: “I’m hoping that there is a dream scenario plan here – they have portfolios and people who have credibility in particular issue areas and they can hit the ground running.

Ilija Srdanović, the top-ranked candidate on the Student List and a cardiologist from Novi Sad, has sought to downplay concerns about leadership. He emphasized that the movement is fully democratic and designed to avoid the creation of a cult of personality. According to Srdanović, all 250 candidates are equal subjects in the struggle, with several individuals qualified to potentially assume the role of prime minister. The city where a deadly roof collapse sparked the student protests, he has protested alongside the students since the early days, a cardiologist at the university in Novi Sad.

Foreign policy and regional alignment, however, remain areas of significant uncertainty. While Vučić had warned that a Student List government might shift Serbia toward the European Union and potentially recognize Kosovo, the movement’s actual stance on these matters has not been clearly articulated. Former UK and EU ambassador Michael Davenport noted that there is no broad consensus within the movement regarding European integration or complex regional issues involving Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

For many supporters in Belgrade, these larger geopolitical questions are secondary to the immediate change in governance. The sound of car horns echoed through the city on Monday as the park cleanup continued, marking what many hope is the first of many steps in dismantling the structures of the previous administration. What happened next took almost everyone by surprise. One visible symbol of the old regime has been swept away.