PoliticsNovember 2, 20262 min read

Serbia Marks Two Years Since Novi Sad Collapse as Student-Backed Election Winners Prepare to Govern

Thousands gathered in Novi Sad to remember the 16 people killed in the railway station canopy collapse, two years after the disaster. Serbia's student-led opposition is now preparing to govern, but the criminal case over the collapse has yet to reach trial.

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Accountability remains unresolved

The November 2024 collapse occurred shortly after the station underwent renovations led by a Chinese consortium. Protesters demanded that authorities make the renovation contract and details of other infrastructure projects public, according to the House of Commons Library.

Novi Sad prosecutors indicted 13 people on December 30, 2024. Among them was former Construction Minister Goran Vesic, who had been arrested on November 21 that year. By the second anniversary in November 2026, no trial had begun; Reuters reported that pretrial proceedings had stalled.

Student List secures a parliamentary majority

The commemoration followed a decisive election victory for the student-backed Student List. In the October 25, 2026, snap parliamentary vote, it secured 141 seats in the 250-seat National Assembly with 53.7% of the vote, according to the House of Commons Library. Aleksandar Vucic's SNS-led United Serbia list received 39.5% and 103 seats, ending 14 years of SNS-led government.

Turnout was the highest in more than three decades, according to Al Jazeera's timeline of events following the collapse.

Vucic had resigned as Serbia's president on September 27, 2026, to head the SNS-led electoral list and run for prime minister. On his final day as president, he pardoned all students and activists facing prosecution, Al Jazeera reported. The pardons halted proceedings for "undermining the constitutional order" and enabled exiled activists to return.

European heads of government and the European Commission welcomed the Student List's victory, according to the House of Commons Library. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos suggested the result could create an opening for Serbia to join the European Union.

Government formation and another election ahead

The incoming National Assembly must convene within 30 days of the parliamentary election. The Student List did not immediately name its choice for prime minister, the House of Commons Library reported.

A presidential election must also take place before the end of 2026, a requirement that could complicate the formation of the new government, according to the briefing.

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