Serbia's Student List faces major challenges after election victory, Mirković says
Serbian psychologist, professor and parliamentary candidate Ana Mirković, representing the "Student List – Students Win" coalition in Serbia's parliamentary elections, told FENA that the student movement's electoral victory marks the beginning of a much more demanding process: building a society in which institutions serve all citizens, political divisions give way to the rule of law, and accountability for the Novi Sad tragedy becomes one of the new government's first and most important tasks.
At the same time, she said, one of the greatest challenges facing the new government will be preserving the democratic principles and civic energy that made political change possible, ensuring that the student movement remains not merely a symbol of change but a lasting driving force behind it, CE Report quotes FENA.
According to preliminary results from the parliamentary elections held on October 25, the Student List won 52.71% of the vote and 140 parliamentary seats, securing an absolute majority in Serbia's National Assembly. However, Mirković emphasized that political victory represents only the beginning of a process that will test whether public trust can be transformed into genuine and lasting social change.
She particularly stressed that accountability for the tragedy at the Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people and triggered months of protests, must remain central to the future government's agenda.
"The Novi Sad tragedy was not merely an accident. It was the most horrific, bloody consequence of systemic corruption, secret contracts and the irresponsibility of those in power. That event was the turning point, the moment when we lost all patience because we realized that the regime's irresponsibility was literally killing people," Mirković said.
She warned that abandoning the original demand for justice during the formation of the new government would mean betraying the fundamental values on which the student movement was built.
"If our original demand for justice were lost in the process of forming the government, we would betray the very essence of our struggle. Victory has no value if it does not bring justice to the families of the victims," she emphasized.
According to Mirković, maintaining public trust requires complete transparency, beginning with the immediate publication of all contracts and documents related to the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station. She also considers it essential to create conditions in which prosecutors and courts can hold those responsible accountable without political pressure, regardless of their positions or status.
Alongside establishing individual responsibility, clear mechanisms of institutional accountability must also be introduced to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
"Justice for Novi Sad is the new government's number one priority," Mirković stated.
Discussing how the student movement managed to sustain social mobilization for almost two years despite pressure and political conflicts, Mirković argued that the key to change lies in a psychological transition from learned helplessness to collective self-efficacy.
She explained that Serbia's political atmosphere over many years had created a sense among a significant portion of the population that their decisions could not influence social developments. As a result, many people had given up even voting, let alone participating in protests or other forms of civic engagement.
"For years, this regime systematically and deliberately trained citizens to believe that nothing depended on them, that everyone was the same and that any resistance was futile. This was a way to make the majority passive. We had become a society of apathetic and lethargic people," she said.
In her view, students succeeded in breaking this pattern by offering a different model of public engagement, based on integrity, determination and willingness to make personal sacrifices rather than pursuing political positions and privileges.
She believes that the police pressure, arrests, attacks in tabloids and other forms of intimidation faced by young people awakened a sense of solidarity and responsibility among older generations.
Parents, neighbors and other citizens began joining protests not only because of political demands but also because they felt a need to protect the young people who had taken on the greatest burden of social resistance.
"When people recognize that someone is making sacrifices not for personal gain, positions or privileges, but out of genuine love for their country and a desire to build a life here, a mechanism of protection and moral responsibility is activated within society," Mirković explained in her interview with FENA.
According to her assessment, this process brought about a transformation extending beyond the election result. Citizens gradually overcame their fear and regained awareness of their ability to make decisions and influence the circumstances in which they live.
"People realized that they are the source of sovereignty, and our electoral victory did not happen by chance. It is the logical outcome of the moment when the silent majority recognized that the dignity of an entire society was being defended behind these students," she said.
Nevertheless, the election results show that a significant portion of Serbian citizens continues to support the previous government, meaning that overcoming political and social divisions will be among the new administration's most important tasks.
Mirković believes that polarization in Serbian society is not solely the result of natural political differences but also, she claims, the consequence of years of deliberate efforts to fuel conflict among citizens.
"Polarization in Serbia was not a natural difference of opinion but a deliberately constructed weapon of those in power. Autocracies govern according to the principle of 'divide and rule.' When you turn families, neighbors and close friends against one another, nobody has time to notice corruption and the collapse of institutions," she said.
She emphasized that the student movement must not regard citizens who voted for the previous government as political enemies or allow its electoral victory to turn into political revenge.
In her assessment, some of these voters had faced economic pressures, fears of losing public-sector employment or years of one-sided information, which may have influenced their political decisions.
"We must not fall into the trap of revenge and the arrogance of winners. The Student List and the new government want to serve all citizens," she said.
This, she explained, means establishing a system in which social protection, healthcare rights, pensions and employment do not depend on political party membership, pressure or citizens' willingness to support a particular political option.
She believes trust can only be restored when citizens feel they will not be punished or placed at a disadvantage because of their political preferences.
"When people see that nobody is punishing them for voting differently, when they experience security and justice without blackmail, tensions will begin to decline. A lawful, stable and just society is the best remedy for artificially created divisions," Mirković said.
According to her, the media played an important role in creating and maintaining these divisions, particularly television broadcasters with national frequencies, which she claims were used for years to spread propaganda, disinformation and attacks against political opponents.
At the same time, digital platforms allowed students to bypass traditional communication channels and reach citizens directly.
"Social media was our liberated territory. It enabled horizontal, rapid and uncensored communication. Through videos, livestreams and digital communities, young people broke through the media blockade," she said.
She explained that the direct nature of digital communication helped the student movement's messages appear more personal and credible than content distributed through traditional media.
However, she warned that overcoming the media blockade does not mean the problem of political control over information has been resolved.
On the contrary, reforming the media system will be one of the future government's key tasks. Mirković identified freeing public broadcasters from executive influence, depoliticizing regulatory institutions and establishing clear professional standards as priorities.
"We must free public broadcasters, which must serve the public rather than the executive authorities. Our task is also to depoliticize the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM)," she emphasized.
She particularly stressed that national broadcasting frequencies are a public resource and must be allocated according to professional criteria, with effective oversight and sanctions against hate speech and violence.
However, she believes that lasting societal resistance to manipulation cannot be achieved through regulatory changes alone.
She therefore advocates systematically introducing media and digital literacy into education, enabling younger generations to develop the ability to critically evaluate information, recognize fake news and understand propaganda mechanisms.
Beyond accountability for Novi Sad, overcoming divisions and reforming the media, Mirković identified the student movement's transition from protest activism to governing state institutions as a particularly demanding challenge.
She recalled that the student movement built its strength on horizontal organization, collective decision-making and rejection of traditional political leadership models, while state institutions operate according to hierarchical structures and formal procedures.
"This is the fundamental challenge facing every movement that moves from rebellion to building a system. The risk is always the same: that the energy we had at gatherings will be swallowed up by bureaucratic labyrinths and formalism," she warned.
To prevent this, she believes it is necessary to establish a model of two-way accountability between the new institutions and the civic movement from which the government emerged.
She particularly emphasized the importance of preserving the autonomy of universities and citizens' assemblies, which should continue to function as independent watchdogs even after political changes.
"Young people who do not enter institutions must not become passive. We must not return to apathy. The movement must retain both the right and the duty to protest, criticize and correct those it sent to parliament and the government," she said.
According to her, this relationship must be supported by concrete mechanisms for involving citizens in decision-making, including mandatory and meaningful public consultations, digital consultations on key legislation and budget transparency at all levels of government.
Mirković particularly advocates giving young people, who carried much of the burden of social mobilization, a genuine opportunity to participate in governing the country.
She believes their role should not be limited to advisory bodies or symbolic participation in political life. Instead, young people should take responsibility for specific public policies.
She sees young people as particularly important drivers of reforms and legislative initiatives in education, digitalization, environmental protection and human rights, where their experience, knowledge and different approach to public affairs could help transform existing governance practices.
Mirković concluded that the true significance of the students' electoral victory will be measured not only by the new government's ability to implement promised reforms but also by whether it succeeds in preserving the trust, solidarity and sense of civic responsibility that developed during nearly two years of protests.
"Our victory will only have meaning if we prove that politics can be conducted with open eyes, clean hands and full respect for those who made the greatest sacrifices for that freedom," Mirković told FENA.
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