Belgrade: Volunteers Clean Park After Student List Victory

Supporters of Serbia's Student List gathered at Pioneers Park in Belgrade on Monday morning to clean up the area following the movement's parliamentary election victory. The group arrived with bin bags after a night of loud celebrations to restore the small park opposite the national assembly. This cleanup effort aligns with the movement's history of organizing itself during two years of anti-corruption protests.

The park had been closed to the public for 18 months. A pro-government camp known as Cailand occupied the space during that period. Convicted criminals lived in white tents within the enclosure. Residents reported that the camp members attacked journalists and visitors who approached too closely. Police monitored the violence but did not intervene.

Concerns about further unrest rose on election night. Approximately 30 minutes before polling stations closed, masked men dressed in black assembled in and around the park. Their presence reinforced predictions that the governing Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, would contest the results. However, the anticipated conflict did not materialize in the same manner as previous protests.

Aleksandar Vučić addressed supporters at SNS headquarters shortly after polls closed. He announced that his party suffered a comprehensive defeat to the Student List before any official projections were released. Vučić stated he did not want unrest or similar events on the streets. Riot police stepped back, barriers surrounding the park were removed, and the masked group departed quickly. Student List supporters then dismantled parts of the encampment and set fire to several tents.

Hundreds of volunteers joined municipal workers on Monday to restore the park. Some removed damaged tents while others cleaned and disinfected playground equipment such as swings, slides, and climbing frames. Radomir Dalic combed the grass for cigarette butts and litter. He described the removal of the camp as getting rid of criminals with violent intentions. Dalic remarked that the volunteers were working in garbage but it smelled like freedom.

Tamara Tomic, wearing yellow rubber gloves, participated in the cleanup. She said the effort demonstrated that people wanted to live comfortably and enjoy a normal life free from violence. The group worked throughout the day to make the space usable again for the public.

The Student List lacks a traditional hierarchy or a single leader. Its candidates were selected through student assemblies, including academics, athletes, economists, and engineers. The group published an 11-point plan focused on anti-corruption, judicial reform, media freedom, affordable housing, and healthcare improvements. The plan included a pledge to place a doctor in every village. The movement did not name a prime ministerial candidate or a cabinet before the vote.

Kurt Bassuener, co-founder of the Democratization Policy Council, expressed hope that the movement has a plan with credible personnel for each portfolio. He warned that fissures in broad coalitions often appear soon after victory. Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist and the first-ranked candidate, stated that the movement aims to avoid a cult of personality. He emphasized that his ranking does not automatically make him prime minister and that numerous candidates could fill the role.

Foreign policy positions for the new government remain unclear. Vučić warned that a Student List government would sanction Russia and recognize Kosovo's independence, but the movement's official stance has not been detailed. Michael Davenport, a former EU and UK ambassador to Serbia, noted a lack of EU flags at student demonstrations. He pointed out that there is no consensus on EU accession, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Kosovo. Car horns sounded throughout Monday as drivers passed the cleanup crew at Pioneers Park.