BELGRADE -- Voters waited in a long lines to cast ballots in a snap election called by Aleksandar Vucic, as student-led demonstrations presented the long-time Serbian populist with the biggest challenge to his leadership in years.
Hundreds of people lined up outside numerous polling stations around the capital, Belgrade, in the early hours after voting opened on October 25.
Voters were also lining up at stations around Novi Sad, where 16 people died two years ago when a train station canopy collapsed.
That event sparked national fury amid reports that corruption had played a role in the construction flaws that led to the accident.
That, plus suspicions that Vucic was pushing the country toward authoritarianism, powered student-led demonstrations and a crop of political candidates.
Vucic, who called the snap election in September, resigned from his second term as president to run again for prime minister.
Despite the student demonstrations, many Serbs credit him with economic growth in the country and government spending on things like new highways and schools.
Opinion polls point to a tight race between Vucic supporters and reform-minded challengers, whose agenda includes eliminating corruption and improving schooling.
The Students' List comprises 250 largely unknown candidates, including farmers, university professors, and actors. The grouping is led by a cardiologist.
Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party supporters have pushed back on the accusations of corruption and repression, and he has alleged that the student movement is funded by foreign agents.
"This has been one of the most difficult but the most emotional campaigns," Vucic said at a rally on October 22. "We stood against those who wanted to destroy Serbia."
One Ipsos poll published on October 22 showed the Serbian Progressive Party leading with 47 percent of likely votes, versus 40 percent for the student-led reformers.
Voting ends at 8 p.m. local time with first results expected by 10 p.m.
