First election debate in Serbia: Brnabić and Nikolić face off on education on N1

On Thursday evening, September 24, N1 television aired the first thematic pre-election debate ahead of the early parliamentary elections of October 25 in Serbia. The chosen topic for the first televised face-off between the campaign’s leading lists was education.

Taking part in the debate were Ana Brnabić, former prime minister and former speaker of the Serbian Parliament, ranked third on the SNS “Aleksandar Vučić – Ujedinjena Srbija” list, as well as Mirjana Nikolić, full professor and rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade, candidate number 90 on the “Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju” (Student List) ticket.

The debate was moderated by journalist Tatjana Aleksić. At the center of the discussion were the state of the education system, the position of universities and teachers, education funding, and the state’s relationship with higher-education institutions and students. The most current issues of the moment were not missing either: student demands, the autonomy of the academic community, and the role of education in Serbian society.

It is worth noting that Nikolić has previously stated that she enters the election race as a citizen, not as rector of the University of Arts. This is the first direct televised duel between representatives of the two leading lists of this election campaign.

Source: nasportal.info