“The Student List” will support Serbia’s strategic path towards the European Union, but will not join sanctions against Russia. This was stated by Mirjana Nikolić, a key leader of the movement and rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade.
“This accession remains a strategic goal. Almost all of our neighbours are members of the EU. From a geostrategic and geopolitical perspective, we are in Europe,” Nikolić told Le Figaro, as quoted by News.bg.
“The Student List” won the parliamentary elections held on 25 October. According to the Serbian electoral commission, it received 53% of the vote, while the coalition led by Aleksandar Vučić won 39%.
As a result, the movement will likely hold around 140 of the 250 seats in parliament. This would give it the majority needed to govern independently, without having to reach a coalition agreement with another political force.
Fighting corruption will be among the priorities
Nikolić said the future government would prioritise the country’s domestic problems. She identified the fight against corruption as one of its main tasks.
However, the position on relations with Russia remains unequivocal. “The students and colleagues who developed this part of the platform stated very clearly that they oppose sanctions against Russia,” Nikolić said.
The new majority is thus declaring its support for European integration while refusing to follow the policy of sanctions against Moscow. This approach preserves the distinction between joining the EU as a strategic goal and Belgrade’s specific foreign-policy decisions.
End of Vučić’s dominance
The electoral victory brings an end to the dominance of the political camp associated with Aleksandar Vučić, a leading figure in Serbian politics for the past 14 years.
The new majority is yet to form a government and turn its stated priorities into a programme of governance. These include Serbia’s European path, the fight against corruption and maintaining its refusal to impose sanctions on Russia.
Sources: news.bg, tanjug.rs