Serbia's Youth Movement Faces Hurdles in Implementing Democratic Reforms

BELGRADE: Serbia's youth movement against the country's longtime strongman Aleksandar Vucic. But turning its promises of sweeping democratic reforms into reality could prove far more difficult. The diverse, leaderless movement, whose candidates have little political experience, has promised to root out corruption, free the media and restore the rule of law after Vucic's 14 years in power. Though armed with a strong mandate for change stemming from a convincing election victory, a new government will still encounter a myriad of hurdles along the way. Expectations are running high and so is impatience after public discontent built up over the years. Here is a look at the challenges that lie ahead: Though Vucic conceded defeat just an hour and a half after polls closed Sunday, it's likely to take weeks before a new government is formed. Serbia's election laws provide for a period of appeals and potential reruns at individual polling stations before final election results are certified and a new Parliament is inaugurated. Any meaningful policy changes can only take place after a new government takes office. Serbia's state election commission so far has released only preliminary and incomplete results of the vote, but they are unlikely to change much. The Students' List is set to have a comfortable majority of 140 seats in the 250-member Parliament while Vucic's SNS party will have 104. The process could be further complicated by a presidential election that Serbia must also hold following Vucic's resignation as president last month. Vucic stepped down to lead the SNS ticket in the parliamentary race, hoping to return to power as prime minister. That triggered the need for a separate vote to choose his successor as head of state.