From cardiologist to favorite candidate for prime minister, who is the figure at the top of Serbia’s Student List

Following the historic victory of the Student List in Sunday’s general election in Serbia, attention is shifting to the composition of the next government and the person who could lead it.

Although the movement evolved from a wave of mass protests into a political force that managed to remove Aleksandar Vučić from power, it has so far not announced an official candidate for prime minister.

According to experts, the absence of a single name is linked to the Student List’s organic method of organization, which differs from the political establishment that had repeatedly accused it of creating conditions conducive to corruption. Nevertheless, Ilija Srdanović is currently considered the most likely candidate to lead the new government, as he heads the list of this political force.

Srdanović is a 56-year-old cardiologist and university professor from Novi Sad who emerged during the election campaign as one of the students’ most vocal supporters.

“Serbia is not ready for change; it has already changed,” he declared at the beginning of this year, adding: “Serbia is winning because the students are winning.”

Since the tragedy involving the collapse of the railway station canopy, the professor from Novi Sad has stood unequivocally alongside the student protests.

Nevertheless, the Student List insists that it is not led by a single person and that there are several possible candidates for each post.

The victory in the parliamentary election marks the movement’s transition from street protests to political representation. The main challenge now is to translate the election result into the formation of a new government and determine the direction Serbia will take.