Serbian students mock Vučić: "Mr. President, you're not on the list"
After Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić insultingly described the alleged candidates on a supposed student election list as "parasites living off the state payroll," students leading months-long anti-government protests responded with a sarcastic message: "But Mr. President... you're not on the list."
According to Hina, the protests were sparked by the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a newly renovated railway station canopy in Novi Sad on December 1, 2024.
Protesters hold the authorities responsible and are demanding a crackdown on corruption, greater democratization, impartial institutions, and early parliamentary elections, CE Report quotes FENA.
The student movement has gained broad public support and announced that it will present its own electoral list for the early elections that Vučić has repeatedly promised but has yet to call.
In recent days, pro-government tabloids published a purported list of public figures allegedly set to run on the students' election ticket.
Vučić quickly responded during a live phone interview with cable television channel Informer, saying the people on the alleged student list were "completely incompetent" and incapable of running the country. He added that most of them work in state institutions and receive salaries from the state budget.
He described the alleged candidates as "a special-interest group" and "a pack without ideas," accusing many of working in the public sector and at universities while damaging the education system through student faculty blockades.
His remarks prompted students to reply with ironic messages on social media and through independent media outlets, including: "But Mr. President... you're not on the list," "Projection is a wonderful thing," and "Someone lied to you. You're not on the list."
Student representatives also stressed that their official electoral list has not yet been made public, dismissing the lists published by pro-Vučić tabloids as speculation "with no connection to reality."
According to the projected list published by Informer, the students' alleged candidates include numerous public figures, among them University of Belgrade Rector Vladan Đokić, former football captain Nemanja Vidić, former basketball star Dejan Bodiroga, retired prosecutor Jasmina Paunović, as well as doctors, university professors, and other prominent individuals.
The students reiterated that their only official electoral list will be published once elections are formally called.
Photo: Facebook/vucicaleksandar
