At the latest parliamentary elections on October 25, 2026, the student-led movement in Serbia managed to oust the leading right-wing party which had been in power for fourteen years. What comes after the authoritarian regime was voted out of office?

What began with protests demanding justice after a deadly roof collapse matured over the course of two years into a countrywide anti-corruption movement and the strongest politictal actor. Although student-led, the movement is without a figurehead leader — grass-roots and horizontal, the network of student and citizen plenaries brought forth a list of 250 representatives who will now take parliament for the next four years.

How did a leaderless movement manage to, essentially, enter the government? How did this process look like, what were the key components to this successful change of power? And with this change of power, what are the possible next steps?

Join us for a facilitated discussion with professors, students, citizen activists and researchers from Serbia and beyond. In a facilitated discussion there is no division between panelists and audience — everybody, from invited guests to the broader audience, is equally invited to speak, while maintaining every individual‘s right to just listen. The goal of a facilitated discussion is the exchange of knowledge and experience and the documentation of most valuable findings.

Facilitation by South Slavic Studies HU Berlin, Sara Marenčić

Sara Marenčić is a research and teaching assistant at the Department of South Slavic Studies, Institute of Slavic and Hungarian Studies, HU Berlin.

The Spotlight Serbia Lecture Series was launched as a solidary response to the increase in state repression against  academia, students, and citizens in Serbia, with the aim to give a voice to academics as well as highlight their research during trying times. Spotlight Serbia now aims to organise panel talks, facilitated discussions, and other events to shed a light on the ongoing political and societal movement taking place in Serbia.