Serbian protesters rally in Belgrade to demand snap election
Tens of thousands of anticorruption protesters have taken to the streets of Serbia's capital, Belgrade, demanding an early election in a bid to end the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.
Large numbers of officers in riot gear were deployed to police Saturday's protests, which were organised by Serbia's university students.
The students were a driving force behind nationwide demonstrations that started nearly eight months ago after the deadly collapse of a renovated concrete rail station roof in the northern city of Novi Sad killed 16 people.
The tragedy last November became a flashpoint for frustrations with the government, with many Serbians saying that it had been caused by alleged corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects.
Under pressure, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned at the start of this year, but Vucic remains in power.
Serbia's railway company halted train service over an alleged bomb threat in what critics said was an apparent bid to prevent people from travelling to Belgrade for the rally.
Hours before the rally at Slavija Square and Nemanjina Avenue, Vucic's party sent in buses of its own supporters from other parts of the country, many wearing T-shirts reading: 'We won't give up Serbia'.
They were joining loyalists who have been camping near Vucic's office in central Belgrade since mid-March.
Vucic, a populist whose Progressive Party-led coalition holds 156 of 250 parliamentary seats, told reporters on Saturday that unspecified 'foreign powers' were behind the protest. He said police should be restrained, but warned that 'thugs will face justice'.
Vucic has previously refused snap elections and has been intent on continuing his second term, which ends in 2027, when there are also parliamentary elections scheduled.
But his hold on power has been rattled, with opponents accusing him and allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms – charges they deny.
Earlier this week, police arrested several people accused of allegedly plotting to overthrow the government and banned entry into the country, without explanation, to several people from Croatia and a theatre director from Montenegro.
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Serbian police have cleared barricades set up by protesters in the capital after a weekend of antigovernment demonstrations that led to clashes with the police and captured an outpouring of months-long public dissent against the government. On Monday, police removed metal fences and moved rubbish containers that had been blocking traffic in Belgrade's Zemun district, while several dozen protesters chanted antigovernment slogans and declared they would return to the streets. In a statement, the police said many people had been arrested but did not give their number. Their arrest has fuelled anger among those demonstrating against a populist government it accuses of authoritarian policies. Protesters have called for the immediate release of those accused of attacking the police or plotting to overthrow the government. President Aleksandar Vucic, who has promised a crackdown on protesters, praised the police action during a visit to Spain on Monday and said, 'Citizens should not worry, the state is strong enough to secure law and order.' Over the past eight months, student-led protests have taken place nearly daily after the collapse of a train station roof killed 16 people in November in the city of Novi Sad. While the incident followed renovation work at the station, it has been widely blamed on poor construction and endemic corruption in the corridors of power. On Saturday, an estimated 140,000 people rallied in Belgrade, in one of the largest demonstrations in the past few months, calling for a snap election to oust Vucic's right-wing government. Authorities have, however, disputed the strength of the crowd, saying only about 36,000 people were demonstrating. During the protest, some protesters clashed with the police, with nearly 50 officers and 22 protesters injured. Riot police used batons, pepper spray and shields to charge at demonstrators who threw rocks, among other objects. The police said about 40 people face criminal charges over the clash. Serbian authorities arrested at least eight university students, accusing them of planning attacks on state institutions. Following the November disaster, public outcry triggered the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government. Still, Vucic reshuffled his cabinet and formed a new government, refusing to announce a snap election ahead of its scheduled 2027 date. The president accused 'foreign powers' of orchestrating the Saturday protest and said protesters had been trying to 'topple Serbia' but failed. A close neighbour, Russia, commented on the protests on Monday and said the demonstrations could be an attempted 'colour revolution', a likely reference to Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution. 'We have no doubt that the current Serbian leadership will be able to restore law and order in the republic in the very near future,' it added. Vucic is regarded as a close ally of Moscow and was in the country on May 9 for the Red Square military parade, the most sacrosanct date on the Russian calendar, held to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany's Third Reich in World War II.
Al Jazeera
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Thousands of people took to the streets in Serbia over the weekend, marking the latest round of protests over widespread corruption and stifling democratic freedoms. After nearly eight months of persistent dissent against populist President Aleksandar Vucic, demonstrators declared the government 'illegitimate' and clashed with riot police in the capital, Belgrade. Police said on Sunday that 48 officers were injured while 22 protesters sought medical help. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said out of 77 people detained, 38 remained in custody on Sunday, most of them facing criminal charges. Vucic accused the organisers of inciting violence and attacking police officers, calling them 'terrorists' who 'tried to bring down the state'. Critics accuse him of being increasingly authoritarian since coming to power, first as prime minister in 2014 and then as president since 2017. Serbians have a history of uprooting strongman leaders; they ousted Slobodan Milosevic 25 years ago after bloody protests. What are protesters demanding? Antigovernment protests started in November, after a renovated rail station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on corruption-fuelled negligence in state infrastructure projects. Following the disaster, Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party stayed in power with a reshuffled administration. The student-led protests have since focused their demands on the need for snap elections instead of regular elections planned for 2027. In advance of Saturday's protest, organisers had issued an 'ultimatum' for Vucic to announce a new vote by 9pm (19:00 GMT) that day – a demand he rejected. Protesters are also stressing the need to ensure that elections are free and fair through several reforms, including a review of voter records, equal access to media for all participants in political life and measures to prevent vote-buying. Other requests also include reforming the education system, recognising student bodies – known as plenums – as legal entities, ensuring fair wages for all education sector workers, and respecting the autonomy of universities. While Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry and Vucic maintains a pro-European stance, critics have also denounced his government's deepening ties with Russia and China. What's new in the latest round of protests? Saturday's rally was one of the largest since the Novi Sad disaster. Authorities put the crowd size at 36,000, well below an independent estimate by the Archive of Public Gatherings, which suggested that about 140,000 people had gathered. Unlike previous demonstrations that passed peacefully, this time police and protesters engaged in violent clashes. Riot police used tear gas and batons as protesters hurled flares and bottles at rows of officers in Belgrade. Vucic has repeatedly alleged the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government, without providing any evidence. He has not specified whom he was alluding to in referring to an external nation looking to destabilise Serbia. Vucic said there would be 'no negotiations' with 'terrorists'. 'They consciously wanted to spur bloodshed. The time of accountability is coming,' he said. Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), said the government had been conducting a 'smear campaign' aimed at criminalising protesters. 'The narrative by government-supported media is that they are 'terrorists' and have to be dealt with,' Morina told Al Jazeera. 'It is unclear how far the government will be willing to go,' the analyst said, adding, the situation 'is escalating and both government and protesters are determined not to back down this time'. Have Serbian protesters forced a government change before? Yes. They ousted Milosevic — who had led the country since 1989 — 25 years ago in what became known as the Bulldozer Revolution. A popular uprising began on September 24, 2000, following a presidential election that saw significant irregularities — but in which Milosevic claimed victory. The protests culminated on October 5 with a bulldozer charging into the building of the Radio Television of Serbia, considered the bastion of the government's propaganda machine. Milosevic resigned two days later. In 2001, he was arrested on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and handed over, by the government in Belgrade, to an international tribunal in The Hague. 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Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
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