France-Serbia: Emmanuel Macron Congratulates the Student List on Its Legislative Election Victory

A little over a week after the student movement's victory in the Serbian legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron congratulated its lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović. This open display of support comes as the French president himself faces significant social unrest, also driven by youth.

A little over a week after the historic victory of the Student List in Serbia's parliamentary elections, Emmanuel Macron congratulated its lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović, on Monday.

In a message posted on X, the French president stated that he had spoken with the representative of the student movement, commending “his broad electoral victory in the legislative elections, marked by historic voter turnout.”

Emmanuel Macron also reaffirmed “France's friendship with Serbia” and Paris's “determination to continue accompanying it on its European path.”

The first member of the French government to react to the Serbian election results was the Minister Delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad.

The day after the vote, he welcomed on X a "democratic surge marked by high turnout" and reiterated France's support for Serbia's European integration, pointing to the "reunification" of the continent.

A movement born from student protests

In the Serbian parliamentary elections, the Student List won 140 of the 250 seats in Parliament, securing an absolute majority and ending more than a decade of political dominance by Aleksandar Vučić.

This political earthquake follows nearly two years of mobilization against the ruling power, triggered by the 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that claimed 16 lives.

Protesters denounced what they viewed as endemic corruption within institutions, calling for greater transparency and the strengthening of the rule of law.

The Student List must now work to form a new government, facing major challenges including the fight against corruption, strengthening democratic institutions, and continuing rapprochement with the European Union.

In France, youth mobilization continues

Emmanuel Macron's congratulations come as the French president himself contends with a social protest movement led particularly by high school and university students. They are denouncing their learning conditions and inequalities in access to higher education.

The movement, joined by former yellow vests (gilets jaunes), has gradually expanded to protest the rising cost of living, leading to three consecutive weekends of demonstrations nationwide.

In an effort to defuse the unrest, the government announced several measures, notably the progressive phase-out by 2028 of the Parcoursup platform—criticized as unequal and opaque—as well as a €4 billion loan package for regions to renovate school buildings.

These announcements were deemed insufficient by student and high school organizations. Several schools were blockaded again on Monday as classes resumed following the autumn break.

However, the government is now calling for a return to classes, with Minister of National Education Édouard Geffray warning of the risk of exam failures, while Emmanuel Macron maintained that "the youth have been heard."

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, for his part, proposed a new meeting with high school student representatives next week to assess progress on the announced measures and plan next steps.

Further actions are planned in the coming days, culminating in a day of interprofessional strikes and protests on Thursday, November 5, called by nearly all major trade union organizations.

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Parliamentary elections