In the small Bačka village of Žabalj, a grassroots movement has delivered a rare victory against Serbia's ruling SNS party, forcing local authorities to back down from installing a politically-connected school director against the will of teachers and parents.
The confrontation began when the teaching council of Žabalj's primary school voted nearly unanimously to extend the mandate of their current director, who had declined to pressure staff during recent nationwide education protests. According to local accounts, his stance was simple: "You placed me in this position, and I respect your will."
That decision did not sit well with SNS municipal councillors, who nominated their own candidate—receiving just three votes from the teaching council compared to 60 for the incumbent. Despite this overwhelming rejection, SNS representatives on the nine-member school board attempted to obstruct the appointment, postponing the vote and allegedly threatening parent and teacher representatives.
According to residents who shared their account online, local enforcers visited homes in the days before the rescheduled meeting, pressuring board members not to attend or to vote for the SNS candidate. One parent representative publicly admitted to being threatened.
The community responded by organizing a protest outside the school board meeting. When two parent representatives failed to appear—presumably under pressure—the session seemed destined for cancellation due to lack of quorum. All three SNS municipal representatives also boycotted.
After an hour of waiting in the cold, one parent representative arrived to applause from assembled villagers, providing the fifth member needed for a valid vote. Within twenty minutes, the board had approved the teachers' choice. Celebrants broke into chants of "Pumpaj" and "Victory, victory" as the news spread.
The stand in Žabalj reflects broader tensions in Serbia, where student-led protests following the Novi Sad railway station disaster have challenged government control over educational institutions. Prominent activists Srđan Milivojević, Miša Bačulov, and representatives from the PUF movement traveled to the village after hearing about the struggle on social media, providing additional support.
In the Balkans, as across post-conflict regions, the path forward requires acknowledging the past without being imprisoned by it. The Žabalj victory demonstrates that even in municipalities dominated by ruling party structures, organized citizens can defend institutional autonomy when they act collectively and refuse intimidation.
The incident highlights the fragility of democratic processes at the local level in Serbia, where political parties frequently attempt to place loyalists in educational and cultural institutions. It also shows that such efforts can be resisted when communities mobilize—offering a template for other localities facing similar pressure.
