In photos, the Serbian students pushing for change ahead of a watershed election

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia will hold an early parliamentary election on Sunday, with a grassroots, student-backed movement seeking to end 14 years of rule by the country’s powerful leader and his right-wing populist party.

Aleksandar Vucic , the authoritarian former president, is seeking to return to power as prime minister. But he faces a serious challenge from a movement born out of almost two years of protests demanding change.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

As they prepared for a rally three days before the vote, Serbian students shared their hopes with The Associated Press for the country’s future and considered whether the election offered a final chance to put Serbia on a more democratic path.

Mina Pejovic, 26

“I think we can achieve big changes at the moment, but I don’t know if it will be possible to fully achieve what we planned.”

Ilhan Kokor, 21

“This is something that can really make a difference, a huge difference, not just to dethrone one man or one person, but to go toward a healthy society based on integrity, honor and honesty.”

Vojislav Adamovic, 24

“I don’t think this is the last chance, I believe that this struggle is eternal ... Only after this does the real work begin.”

Andjela Radojevic, 25

"I see Serbia in five years as a democratic country where we’ll be able to live freely, where everyone will do their job, where experts will be put to work in their fields of expertise, where there’s no corruption, ... where everyone is accountable for their deeds and where law would apply equally to all.”

Andja Prica, 20

“It’s a crucial moment for the struggle that has been ongoing for the past two years and even before that, but I think that even if we don’t meet our expectations now, it’s not the last gasp.”

Martin Rabrenovic, 20

“I see Serbia in five years as a country turned more toward democracy, less totalitarian than now, where democracy exists for real, not just empty promises and words.”

Mateja Radosavljevic, 20

“This enthusiasm of the people is hard to replicate, and I think what we’ve achieved in these two years with the blockades is a great opportunity, and it raised the political consciousness in Serbia.”

Maja Brajovic, 27

“I hope a new spirit and a new energy will come to power and that everything will be much different.”

Mihajlo Zivkovic, 20

“ (Something) that is very important to me is that the air should be much cleaner, we need to make greater efforts in ecology, green spaces. We have huge problems in this sphere, especially in cities.”

Vuk Nektarijevic, 21

“In case of victory, I see Serbia as a newborn country with a national identity, and in case of defeat I see chaos and the disappearance of everything we identify with Serbia.”