Aleksandar Vucic, who recently resigned as Serbia’s president to run for prime minister, has released a video where he humorously engages in a “debate” with a stone. This act serves to criticize the opposition’s refusal to participate in electoral debates, according to reports from EFE. Notably, Vucic neglected to mention that he himself has not taken part in such discussions during his 14 years in power.
In the video, Vucic is seen in a garden, seated in front of a chair holding a stone and a photograph of Ilija Srdanovic, leader of the opposition Student’s List, who is his main competitor in the upcoming elections on October 25. The stone is intended as a jab at his rivals, who have claimed that even a stone could defeat Vucic at the polls.
“Despite my numerous invitations, the response has been: ‘Vucic, we ignore you.’ That’s why I set up a special scene here in my father’s garden in Jajinci,” the populist and nationalist politician remarked.
Opposition’s Refusal
Srdanovic, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Novi Sad, offered a sarcastic response on Instagram, stating that while the philosopher’s stone has been discovered, the search continues for someone who knows how to use it. He expressed that his refusal to debate stems from the belief that Vucic’s offer lacks sincerity, aiming to reduce the opposition movement to a single target for attack.
“He is not genuinely interested in a conversation with me,” Srdanovic explained, justifying his decision.
Vucic served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017 before being elected president, a position he was re-elected to in 2022 for a second and final term due to constitutional limits. His term is scheduled to end in April next year. His party, the SNS, won an absolute majority in the December 2023 snap elections.
Prior to his presidency, Vucic was the information minister (1998-2000) during Slobodan Milosevic’s authoritarian regime.
Debate Absence Since 2012
In his criticisms of the students, who have been at the forefront of significant protests against Vucic over the past two years, the former president omitted to mention that he has not participated in a televised debate since 2012 when he was deputy prime minister, as confirmed by the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia.
“Aleksandar Vucic offered students a televised debate, but these invitations came too late. For a decade and a half, Serbia has waited for Vucic to agree to discuss on a television platform with someone who thinks differently,” wrote the Belgrade weekly Vreme.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) noted in its 2017 presidential election report that Vucic chose not to take part in candidate debates, leaving his opponents without an opportunity for direct confrontation on equal terms.
Civil Protests
Vucic has called for early elections, mirroring previous instances to hold them a year ahead of schedule.
The nationalist leader has faced multiple waves of civil protests since taking office. The largest, led by students, erupted after the death of 16 people due to a canopy collapse in November 2024 at a railway station recently renovated by Chinese companies.
What began as a protest to seek accountability has evolved into a denunciation of what many Serbs perceive as increasing authoritarianism and corruption in Vucic’s government.
A late September poll indicated Vucic’s SNS party holds 41.7% of voter intentions, compared to 44.5% for the opposition Student’s List.
