By Ivana Sekularac and Edward McAllister
BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Serbia is voting on Sunday as a mass student protest movement seeks to unseat longtime populist leader Aleksandar Vucic in the biggest challenge to his rule for more than a decade.
The snap parliamentary elections, called by Vucic in September, come after almost two years of student-led demonstrations against perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 2024. The students have since gained widespread support.
Early turnout was strong, with long lines forming in front of polling stations even before they opened at 7 a.m.. First indications of results are expected around two hours after polls close at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT).
A student victory would be a profound political shift in the Balkan country of some 6 million people, reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary's Viktor Orban in April. It also potentially offers a blueprint for other student movements across Europe, which have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest, in some cases violently, against poor education standards and a lack of prospects.
"I came out early today because the students called us," said Ana, 30, at a polling station in Belgrade.
Vucic, who resigned from his second term as president to run again for prime minister, is a strong incumbent. Many voters thank him for pulling Serbia from economic obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals.
OPINION POLLS PREDICT TIGHT RACE
Domestically, Vucic has pledged higher pensions and public sector salaries, investment in state healthcare and subsidies for young couples. On the international stage, he has balanced closer ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, Serbia's traditional ally and principal supplier of natural gas, while leaving the door open to joining the European Union despite a stalled campaign.
"I voted for our children, our young people...our children deserve peace and work, only Vucic can bring that," said Hatidza, a Roma.
The students' domestic agenda aims to root out graft and improve schooling, but they have been quieter on their international ambitions. Their list of 250 largely unknown candidates includes university professors, actors and farmers, and is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic.
"I hope that today will pass in a democratic atmosphere, in peace, and that we will legitimately elect a new government in Serbia," Srdanovic said after casting his vote in Novi Sad, adding that the scenes suggested there would be a record voter turnout in the country's recent history.
In Belgrade, Vucic was still in the line to vote, having waited patiently for more than an hour.
Opinion polls predict a tight race. In an Ipsos poll published on Thursday, Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is seen leading with 47% of votes versus 40% for the students. But other polls have put the students in the lead.
STUDENT PROTESTS INCREASE PRESSURE ON VUCIC
The student-led street protests sparked by the station disaster quickly became the biggest in a generation, calling for Vucic to step down. Rights groups and activists say repression has worsened in the period since.
"These are historical elections. For decades the people have been waiting for this time, something to bring hope that we can live freely and by the rules of democracy," said actress Jelena Stupljanin, 48, at a Belgrade polling station.
Vucic and the SNS have repeatedly denied accusations of repression, corruption and spying on their opponents. He says the students are funded by foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, a charge the students dismiss.
"This has been one of the most difficult but the most emotional campaigns," Vucic told his supporters on Thursday. "We stood against those who wanted to destroy Serbia."
(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac and Edward McAllister; Editing by Kirsten Donovan )
