Mr Who? Professor in Race Against Time to Convince Serbia’s Undecided Voters

On one hand, Ilija Srdanovic’s greatest asset might be his lack of political baggage. On the other, his obscurity may prove a hindrance. With the 56-year-old medical professor from Novi Sad, northern Serbia, now the figurehead of a grassroots movement to unseat Serbia’s ruling party and president, voters will give their verdict on October 25. Largely unknown to the wider Serbian public until this month, Srdanovic has been thrust into the spotlight, his every move and utterance picked over by tabloids and pro-government broadcasters. Srdanovic hails from the city where 16 people were crushed to death in November 2024 when a concrete canopy at a newly renovated railway station collapsed, triggering an outpouring of anger and frustration at what many Serbs say is the mismanagement, corner-cutting and corruption that has flourished during 14 years of rule by the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, and President Aleksandar Vucic. Chosen by the students who took up the call for change, Srdanovic finds himself effectively going head-to-head with Vucic, a seasoned politician and, his critics say, an autocrat in the mould of Viktor Orban.