October 2025 elections — In an analysis ahead of Serbia’s October 25, 2025 elections, lawyer and former police official Marko Nicović argues that the country’s police force finds itself at a fateful crossroads, caught between the ruling power centers and the people. Nicović writes that officers will be under immense pressure on election day, pulled between their superiors, who are aligned with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and the citizens and students protesting in the streets.

He contends that the police profession has been “humiliated” and politically abused in recent years, with officers well aware of the alleged enrichment of former high-ranking officials like Nebojša Stefanović and Veselin Milić. Nicović states that ordinary officers may hesitate to follow potentially illegal orders from their commanders, especially under the watchful eyes of domestic and international observers.

The analysis also highlights the role of criminal elements, which Nicović claims the regime has relied upon. He argues these figures, superior in their dealings with officials due to their experience and lack of ideology beyond power and money, may ultimately refuse to obey when the decisive moment comes, having seen the fate of former regime enforcers like Veljko Belivuk.

With an estimated 35,000 armed police personnel and up to 10,000 potential criminal auxiliaries, Nicović concludes that the state lacks the numbers to control the entire country if citizens flood the streets in the post-election period, leaving the police facing an unsolvable dilemma.