BELGRADE (Azat TV) – Following a historic snap election on Sunday, October 25, 2026, that swept former President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party from power, Serbia’s leaderless student-led protest movement is preparing to form a new administration. As the country awaits the official appointment of a prime minister and key ministerial positions, attention has turned to the prominent figures driving the transition. Reuters reported, in an article published by Internazionale, that the student list features a diverse coalition of academics, professionals, and public figures poised to take the reins of state power in Belgrade.
The election results mark a profound political shift for the Balkan nation after 14 years of rule by Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party. With the incoming administration facing immediate decisions on domestic anti-corruption reforms, economic policy, and international positioning, international leaders have already begun engaging with the transition. European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X that he had spoken with student movement figures to stress that the priority is establishing a new government without delay.
The Economic Vision of Dejan Soskic
Among the key figures on the student list is former central bank governor Dejan Soskic, a 59-year-old economist and professor at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Economics. Soskic previously led the central bank between 2010 and 2012, resigning in protest over legislative amendments that he argued compromised the institution’s independence. Throughout the campaign, Soskic emphasized that prudent public finances are necessary to establish a stable foundation for a permanent increase in wages and pensions.
Soskic has long criticized institutional weaknesses and systemic corruption under the previous administration, arguing that such conditions have deterred both domestic and foreign direct investment. During the campaign, he proposed correcting the exchange rate of the dinar, which operates in a managed float against the euro, to increase export competitiveness and make domestic goods cheaper in foreign currencies. Alternatively, he suggested maintaining a fixed exchange rate while cutting costs through reduced wages. Pro-government media have previously criticized his central bank record, pointing to dinar depreciation during his tenure, which Soskic defended as a reflection of mandatory monetary policy adjustments rather than personal failure.
Healthcare Reform and Regional Stakes
Cardiologist and university professor Ilija Srdanovic, 55, emerged as the student movement’s lead candidate when the ballot list was finalized in September. Srdanovic transitioned into frontline politics after participating in anti-corruption demonstrations and the movement’s bicycle tour across the northern Vojvodina province. Campaigning on a platform of decentralizing the health system to serve citizens based on equality, Srdanovic told the Belgrade-based FoNet news agency that his primary political objective is building a better Serbia.
Despite the reformist mandate, Srdanovic and the Student List have maintained specific continuity on national questions. Srdanovic stressed that Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, remains an integral part of Serbia. He also stated during the campaign that European Union integration is not an immediate priority, arguing instead that the incoming administration must focus squarely on domestic anti-corruption reforms and existential national survival.
Sports Administration and Academic Leadership
Dejan Bodiroga, 53, the former captain of the Yugoslav national basketball team and current EuroLeague president, represents another pillar of the student movement. Describing the election as a fight to reclaim a hijacked country, Bodiroga participated extensively in student rallies and campaign events. His transition from sports star to public speaker has added significant popular momentum to the movement in a sports-passionate nation.
Meanwhile, 64-year-old chemistry professor and Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts member Radomir Saicic took the podium at headquarters after Vucic conceded defeat, hailing the outcome as a citizen’s victory. Saicic, a specialist in medicinal chemistry whose research includes antiviral therapies and chemotherapy treatments, became a prominent opponent of the former government following the 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad. Local analysts have also tipped Saicic as a potential contender in upcoming presidential elections triggered by the political transition.