NPS, NLS, Ecological Uprising Form Narodna Srbija
Three opposition parties formalized the "Narodna Srbija" alliance on August 28 and announced coordination in electoral processes, days before the deadline to call elections.
The Serbian People’s Movement (NPS), New Face of Serbia (NLS) and Ecological Uprising announced on August 28 that they had formed an alliance called “Narodna Srbija.” In a joint statement, the three parties said the alliance grew out of their existing political and parliamentary cooperation, with the goal of further joint action and coordination of activities, including in electoral processes. The announcement came at a time when the elections the alliance explicitly refers to had not yet been called.
This outlet has so far reported on an opposition entering the campaign divided, running in several separate columns, and on the New DSS announcing it would run on its own. The formation of the “Narodna Srbija” alliance is the first formal, named coalition to emerge from that pattern, and it arrives just days before the deadline to call elections, which gives it a different weight than earlier talk of possible alignment. Until now, the public knew about parliamentary and political cooperation between these three parties, but not about a shared brand under which they would run. That is what is new in this statement: a formalized name that, according to the announcement, rests on coordination within the electoral processes themselves rather than just declared closeness.
What the alliance names as priorities
The statement said the alliance’s priorities would not change from what the three parties have pursued so far. The key points listed are:
- cracking down on crime and corruption, including dismantling criminal structures
- economic recovery, reforms and support for the domestic economy
- defense of national identity and state interests
- protection of national resources, water and land
- rural revival, with greater investment in agriculture and the development of rural Serbia
The parties also said in the statement that they remain committed to communication and coordination with other opposition actors and are open to expanding cooperation, not just to relations within their own alliance.
A harsh verdict on the government, worded differently across sources
The part of the statement that drew the most attention concerns its assessment of the current situation. Sources differ, however, on the exact wording of one sentence. N1 carried this version:
“Under Aleksandar Vucic’s regime, the Republic of Serbia has become a captured state, seized from the people by a group of arrogant power holders. Aware of the responsibility we carry and the seriousness of this moment, we will be committed to freeing the state, establishing functional institutions, waging an uncompromising fight against the current usurping regime that has become estranged from its own people, and preparing for the upcoming elections.”
The Beta news agency carried the same sentence, but with “Serbia” instead of “the Republic of Serbia” as the subject of the first sentence. The rest of the quote is identical in both versions. The “Narodna Srbija” alliance also said that change, or what they call a “Serbia run like a proper household,” can only be achieved through joint opposition forces, and that their allies are all those who, as they put it, are genuinely fighting against the current government.
There has been no official reaction from the ruling coalition to the formation of the alliance so far.
Who reported the news, and what remains open
The formation of the “Narodna Srbija” alliance was reported the same day by N1, Danas, Beta, Glas Sumadije and Ozon pres. In its statement, the alliance explicitly mentions preparing for the upcoming elections, even though, on the day of the announcement, they had not yet been formally called. That leaves open the question of when, and under what conditions, the alliance will enter any negotiations with the rest of the opposition, including the New DSS, which has so far said it would run on its own.
Whether the alliance’s formalized name will make further negotiations with other opposition actors easier or harder is also an open question. The signatories themselves said in the statement that they remain open to talks, but no specific meeting or deadline for a possible expansion of the alliance has been announced, nor have NPS, NLS or Ecological Uprising announced a next step ahead of the formal calling of elections.
