塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德——周六，数千名塞尔维亚民粹主义领导人亚历山大·武契奇的支持者挤满了贝尔格莱德最大的室内体育馆，这实际上标志着他竞选总理活动的正式启动。此次选举定于10月25日举行，具有至关重要的意义。
BELGRADE, Serbia — Thousands of supporters of Serbia’s populist leader, Aleksandar Vucic, packed the largest indoor arena in Belgrade on Saturday for the de facto launch of his campaign for prime minister that will culminate in a pivotal election set for Oct. 25. The early election, which polls suggest could be tight between Vucic’s party and a group of candidates fielded by a student-led protest movement, was called after Vucic resigned as president on Sept. 27, cutting short his second term by more than seven months.
民意调查显示，此次提前举行的选举结果难料，武契奇所在的政党与由学生主导的抗议运动推举出的候选人阵营之间可能将展开激烈角逐。武契奇于9月27日辞去总统职务，使得其第二个总统任期提前七个多月结束，此次选举也因此得以举行。
Vucic, who is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term as president, declared upon resigning that he would lead his populist Serbian Progressive Party in the parliamentary election.
根据宪法规定，武契奇不得竞选第三届总统。他在辞职时宣布，将带领自己创立的塞尔维亚进步党参加议会选举。倘若该党赢得多数席位，议会预计将选举武契奇为总理。
If his party wins a majority of seats, the parliament is expected to elect Vucic as prime minister. Dozens of buses from across Serbia clogged streets around Belgrade Arena on Saturday as supporters arrived at the rally in the capital carrying Serbian flags and banners bearing Vucic’s picture.
周六，数十辆来自塞尔维亚各地的巴士挤满了贝尔格莱德体育馆周边的街道。支持者们手持塞尔维亚国旗以及印有武契奇头像的横幅，纷纷前来参加这场集会。
这场集会由塞尔维亚多家电视台进行直播。此前一周，武契奇走遍全国各城镇与村庄，显然意在挽回因近两年的持续反政府抗议而受损的民众支持率。
The event, televised by dozens of channels across Serbia, capped a week of Vucic touring towns and villages in an apparent bid to shore up his popularity that’s been shaken after almost two years of sustained anti-government protests.
发起这些抗议活动的青年运动要求对2024年11月1日发生在北部城市诺维萨德的火车站雨棚坍塌事故追究责任，该事故导致16人丧生。
The youth-backed movement that led the protests has demanded accountability for the Nov. 1, 2024 train station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in the northern city of Novi Sad.
这一运动旨在为遇难者讨回公道并打击腐败，如今已发展成为一股全国性的政治力量。其下属的选举组织“学生名单”将试图终结武契奇领导的政府长达14年的执政。过去12年间，武契奇一直担任总理或总统职务。
The movement’s struggle for justice over the tragedy and against corruption has grown into a nationwide political force whose electoral arm, the Student List, will attempt to oust Vucic’s government after 14 years in power. Vucic himself has been either prime minister or president for the past 12 years.
这份学生名单中既有大学教授、中小学教师，也有各领域的专家，他们来自不同的政治阵营。然而武契奇却指责这场运动的发起者企图“让塞尔维亚陷入停滞”，并在拿不出任何证据的情况下声称该运动背后有不明身份的外国势力在操纵。
The Student List includes university professors, teachers, experts and others from across the political spectrum. Yet Vucic has accused those behind the movement of seeking to “bring Serbia to a halt,” and claimed, without providing evidence, that it’s backed by unspecified foreign agents.
周六，武契奇对支持者说道：“只要没有某些（外国情报机构）的干预，我们就能战胜他们。他们自己也心知肚明。”此次选举正值塞尔维亚政治局势高度紧张之际，有报道称竞选活动中出现了各种冲突与肢体斗殴事件。国际观察员指出，塞尔维亚以往的选举均存在诸多违规现象与暴力行为。
On Saturday, Vucic told his supporters: “Absent an intervention of some (foreign intelligence) service, we will defeat them. And they know that.”The election is taking place amid heightened political tensions in Serbia, with reports of incidents and physical altercations at campaign events. International observers have described previous elections in Serbia as marred by multiple irregularities and violence.
尽管塞尔维亚名义上是欧盟候选国，但在与俄罗斯、中国保持密切联系的武契奇执政下，其入盟进程却陷入停滞。
While formally a candidate for European Union membership, Serbia’s accession process has stalled under Vucic, who maintains close ties with Russia and China.
在历次评估候选国进展的报告中，欧洲各机构均警告称塞尔维亚的民主状况正在倒退。人权与媒体自由组织也分别发出警告，指出该国存在警察暴力、任意拘留、未经许可的监视以及针对记者的威胁等现象。
European institutions have warned of democratic backsliding in Serbia in successive reports tracking the progress of candidate countries. Rights and media freedom groups have separately warned of police violence , arbitrary detentions, unauthorized surveillance and threats against journalists.