Former President of Serbia Boris Tadić took part in a discussion on the future of Serbia following the historic parliamentary elections, hosted and moderated in Ljubljana by former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, founder and director of the Friends of Western Balkans.
The discussion focused on the remarkable electoral success of Serbia’s student movement, which secured a decisive victory in October’s parliamentary elections, ending the rule of Aleksandar Vučić. Tadić praised the students for achieving what the established political opposition had been unable to accomplish for years, describing their success as an extraordinary political achievement that deserves recognition and respect.
“We must respect their results,” Tadić emphasised, acknowledging that the student movement had demonstrated greater political effectiveness than politicians of his own generation. He admitted that he was still trying to fully understand how the students had managed to overcome such a powerful political system.
According to Tadić, the movement succeeded in challenging an exceptionally strong regime that had exercised extensive control over the media, security institutions and financial resources. He identified the instrumentalisation of the media as one of the principal mechanisms through which Vučić maintained political power. Pro-government media, he explained, served not only to disseminate political propaganda but also to discredit and intimidate opponents, protesters and even members of their families.
Tadić highlighted the students’ innovative response to these circumstances. By avoiding a centralised leadership structure and organising themselves through university plenums and horizontal democratic decision-making, the movement made it considerably more difficult for the authorities to target individual leaders. He expressed his belief that universities and political analysts around the world would study the Serbian student movement, its organisational methods and the effectiveness of its political mobilisation.
A central part of the discussion concerned the challenges awaiting the student movement following its electoral victory. Tadić stressed that the transition from a protest movement based on university plenums to a system of parliamentary democracy would represent a significant political and institutional challenge. Until now, the plenums have been at the centre of the movement’s decision-making process. Following the elections, however, the movement must also accommodate the role and responsibilities of elected members of parliament. Tadić expects that the students will seek to preserve the influence of their plenums while developing a new and more sophisticated model of cooperation with their parliamentary representatives. He suggested that the plenums would remain an important source of political legitimacy and influence, rather than simply transferring decision-making authority to those elected on the student-backed list. The movement is therefore facing the task of reconciling its participatory and decentralised structure with the constitutional responsibilities of parliamentary representatives and government institutions.
Tadić also reflected on the challenges associated with exercising political power. He warned that the responsibilities of governing a country differ considerably from those of organising a successful protest movement. Elected representatives and future government officials will have to demonstrate their ability to make difficult decisions, manage institutions and reconcile competing political interests.
Referring to his own political experience, Tadić expressed his willingness to help the new generation avoid mistakes made by previous political leaders. He also recalled a conversation with a student who argued that Serbia should be governed by institutions rather than individuals. While recognising the importance of strong institutions, Tadić cautioned that institutions ultimately depend on the people entrusted with leading them.
The former Serbian President nevertheless expressed optimism about the possibility that the student movement could develop an innovative approach to democratic governance. He acknowledged that the precise form of its future political organisation remains uncertain, but suggested that the students might introduce a model that could inspire democratic movements beyond Serbia. Tadić said he would be particularly proud if Serbia contributed a new political model to the development of democracy worldwide.
Despite the ideological diversity within the student movement, Tadić argued that its members are united by more than their opposition to Vučić. Their shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and independent institutions provides a common foundation for political cooperation. At the same time, he emphasised that preserving the movement’s unity would be essential to its long-term success. One of its greatest challenges will be managing disagreements between members with different political and ideological convictions, particularly as the movement assumes responsibility for governing the country.
The discussion also addressed Serbia’s future political and economic priorities, including the strengthening of democratic institutions, the restoration of the rule of law and the dismantling of structures associated with the previous government. Tadić also pointed to opportunities for economic development and the importance of encouraging investment.
Regarding Serbia’s foreign policy, including relations with Kosovo and Russia, Tadić underlined the importance of taking Serbia’s national interests into account. He expressed the view that the new political leadership would need to seek compromises while navigating complex regional and international circumstances.
The discussion in Ljubljana highlighted the significance of Serbia’s political transformation not only for the country itself but also for the wider Western Balkans. The student movement’s transition from civic mobilisation to parliamentary responsibility represents an important test of its ability to translate democratic aspirations into effective and accountable governance.
The Friends of Western Balkans, founded and directed by former president Pahor, continues to promote dialogue on the political future of the region, democratic development, institutional stability and cooperation among the countries of the Western Balkans.
Nekdanji predsednik Republike Srbije Boris Tadić se je v Ljubljani mudil na pogovoru o prihodnosti Srbije po zgodovinskih parlamentarnih volitvah, ki ga je vodil nekdanji predsednik Republike Slovenije ter ustanovitelj in direktor zavoda Prijatelji Zahodnega Balkana Borut Pahor.
Pogovor je bil osredotočen na izjemen volilni uspeh srbskega študentskega gibanja, ki je na oktobrskih parlamentarnih volitvah doseglo prepričljivo zmago in končalo obdobje vladavine Aleksandra Vučića. Tadić je študentom izrekel priznanje za dosežek, ki ga uveljavljena politična opozicija več let ni uspela doseči, njihov uspeh pa označil za izjemen politični dosežek, vreden spoštovanja in priznanja.
“Spoštovati moramo njihove rezultate,” je poudaril Tadić in priznal, da je študentsko gibanje pokazalo večjo politično učinkovitost kot politiki njegove generacije. Ob tem je povedal, da tudi sam še vedno poskuša v celoti razumeti, kako je študentom uspelo premagati tako močan politični sistem.
Po Tadićevih besedah je gibanju uspelo premagati izjemno močan režim, ki je imel obsežen nadzor nad mediji, varnostnimi institucijami in finančnimi viri. Kot enega osrednjih mehanizmov, s katerimi je Vučić ohranjal politično oblast, je izpostavil instrumentalizacijo medijev. Pojasnil je, da provladni mediji niso služili zgolj širjenju politične propagande, temveč tudi diskreditaciji in ustrahovanju političnih nasprotnikov, protestnikov ter celo njihovih družinskih članov.
Tadić je posebej izpostavil inovativen odziv študentov na takšne razmere. Z izogibanjem centralizirani vodstveni strukturi ter organiziranjem na podlagi univerzitetnih plenumov in horizontalnega demokratičnega odločanja so oblastem bistveno otežili napade na posamezne voditelje gibanja. Izrazil je prepričanje, da bodo univerze in politični analitiki po svetu preučevali srbsko študentsko gibanje, njegove organizacijske metode in učinkovitost politične mobilizacije.
Pomemben del pogovora je bil namenjen izzivom, ki študentsko gibanje čakajo po volilni zmagi. Tadić je poudaril, da bo prehod iz protestnega gibanja, utemeljenega na univerzitetnih plenumih, v sistem parlamentarne demokracije predstavljal velik politični in institucionalni izziv. Doslej so imeli plenumi osrednjo vlogo pri sprejemanju odločitev znotraj gibanja. Po volitvah pa bo moralo gibanje upoštevati tudi vlogo in odgovornosti izvoljenih poslancev. Tadić pričakuje, da si bodo študenti prizadevali ohraniti vpliv plenumov, hkrati pa razviti nov, bolj izpopolnjen model sodelovanja s svojimi parlamentarnimi predstavniki. Po njegovem mnenju bodo plenumi ostali pomemben vir politične legitimnosti in vpliva, namesto da bi se pristojnosti odločanja preprosto prenesle na poslance, izvoljene na študentski listi. Gibanje se tako sooča z nalogo usklajevanja svoje participativne in decentralizirane strukture z ustavnimi odgovornostmi parlamentarnih predstavnikov in državnih institucij.
Tadić je razmišljal tudi o izzivih, povezanih z izvrševanjem politične oblasti. Opozoril je, da se odgovornosti pri vodenju države bistveno razlikujejo od organiziranja uspešnega protestnega gibanja. Izvoljeni predstavniki in prihodnji nosilci izvršilne oblasti bodo morali dokazati sposobnost sprejemanja zahtevnih odločitev, upravljanja institucij ter usklajevanja različnih političnih interesov.
Ob sklicevanju na lastne politične izkušnje je Tadić izrazil pripravljenost pomagati novi generaciji, da bi se izognila napakam preteklih političnih voditeljev. Spomnil se je tudi pogovora z enim od študentov, ki je zagovarjal stališče, da bi morale Srbijo voditi institucije in ne posamezniki. Čeprav je priznal pomen močnih institucij, je opozoril, da je njihovo delovanje navsezadnje odvisno tudi od ljudi, ki jim je zaupano njihovo vodenje.
Nekdanji srbski predsednik je kljub temu izrazil optimizem glede možnosti, da bi študentsko gibanje razvilo inovativen pristop k demokratičnemu upravljanju države. Priznal je, da natančna oblika njegove prihodnje politične organiziranosti ostaja neznanka, vendar ocenil, da bi študenti lahko oblikovali model, ki bi navdihnil demokratična gibanja tudi zunaj Srbije. Tadić je dejal, da bi bil še posebej ponosen, če bi Srbija k razvoju demokracije v svetu prispevala nov model političnega delovanja.
Kljub ideološki raznolikosti znotraj študentskega gibanja je Tadić poudaril, da njegovih pripadnikov ne povezuje zgolj nasprotovanje Vučiću. Skupna zavezanost demokraciji, vladavini prava in neodvisnim institucijam po njegovem mnenju predstavlja pomemben temelj za prihodnje politično sodelovanje. Obenem je opozoril, da bo ohranjanje enotnosti gibanja ključnega pomena za njegov dolgoročni uspeh. Eden največjih izzivov bo obvladovanje nesoglasij med pripadniki različnih političnih in ideoloških prepričanj, zlasti ko bo gibanje prevzelo odgovornost za vodenje države.
V pogovoru so se dotaknili tudi prihodnjih političnih in gospodarskih prednostnih nalog Srbije, med drugim krepitve demokratičnih institucij, ponovne vzpostavitve vladavine prava in razgradnje struktur, povezanih s prejšnjo oblastjo. Tadić je opozoril tudi na priložnosti za gospodarski razvoj in pomen spodbujanja investicij.
Glede zunanje politike Srbije, vključno z odnosi s Kosovom in Rusijo, je Tadić poudaril pomen upoštevanja srbskih nacionalnih interesov. Izrazil je stališče, da bo moralo novo politično vodstvo iskati kompromise ter se soočati z zapletenimi regionalnimi in mednarodnimi okoliščinami.
Pogovor v Ljubljani je izpostavil pomen političnih sprememb v Srbiji ne le za državo samo, temveč tudi za širšo regijo Zahodnega Balkana. Prehod študentskega gibanja od državljanske mobilizacije k parlamentarni odgovornosti predstavlja pomemben preizkus njegove sposobnosti, da demokratična prizadevanja prenese v učinkovito in odgovorno upravljanje države.
Zavod Prijatelji Zahodnega Balkana, ki ga je ustanovil in ga vodi nekdanji predsednik republike Borut Pahor, si še naprej prizadeva za spodbujanje dialoga o politični prihodnosti regije, demokratičnem razvoju, institucionalni stabilnosti in sodelovanju med državami Zahodnega Balkana.
