Serbia votes out ruling party after station tragedy
A concrete canopy collapse in Novi Sad sparked two years of protests that culminated in the election of a student-led opposition movement.
By Gabriela Ivanov ·
The Student List coalition won the Serbian parliamentary election on October 25, ending the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party. This result followed a two-year political crisis triggered by a structural failure at the Novi Sad railway station. The new government will now address the aftermath of the collapse, which killed 16 people.
On November 1, 2024, a concrete canopy fell from the renovated station building in Novi Sad. Fourteen people died at the scene, and three others were hospitalized in critical condition. Two of the hospitalized patients later died, bringing the total death toll to 16. The incident raised immediate questions about construction quality and public spending.
Protests began in Novi Sad on November 5, 2024, just four days after the collapse. Thousands of demonstrators gathered to demand accountability. Police clashed with protesters, arresting dozens and damaging City Hall. Opposition members and citizens blocked the entrance to the court and prosecutor’s office for three consecutive days starting November 19. They demanded the release of arrested protesters and a faster investigation into the collapse.
The Novi Sad higher public prosecutor’s office arrested 11 individuals on November 21, 2024. Among them were former Construction Minister Goran Vesic and other officials. On December 30, 2024, prosecutors indicted 13 people for crimes including improper execution of construction works and abuse of office. Higher courts later reduced the detention of Vesic and Jelena Tanaskovic, the acting General Director of Serbia Railways Infrastructure, to house arrest.
Student activists faced physical violence during a memorial service in Belgrade in late November 2024. This event led to a university sit-in demanding the prosecution of the attackers and full transparency on the station reconstruction. Authorities released eight binders containing 195 documents on December 11, 2024, but students argued the disclosure was insufficient. A separate investigation into financial fraud and money laundering launched in January 2025 involved Vesic, former Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic, and 12 other individuals.
Political pressure intensified in January 2025 when governing party activists attacked students in Novi Sad. Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned in response, the government’s largest concession at that time. Thirteen activists were arrested in March 2025 on charges of undermining the constitutional order. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Belgrade on March 15, 2025, demanding their release. The High Court in Novi Sad replaced prison detention with house arrest for some activists in May 2025.
Some accused activists left Serbia for European Union countries in June 2025 to continue drawing attention to the case. The student movement formally organized as the Student List-Students Win grouping in September 2026 ahead of snap elections. President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on September 27, 2026, to lead his party’s electoral list. He pardoned all prosecuted students and activists on his last day in office, allowing those in exile to return safely.
Voter turnout in the October 2025 election reached its highest level in more than 30 years. Vucic conceded defeat to the Student List following the announcement of results. The new government faces the task of resolving the legal proceedings related to the railway station tragedy and overseeing the completion of the station renovation.
