Thousands of people rallied in Serbia’s capital on Saturday, chanting “Thieves!” and accusing the populist authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic of orchestrating a fraud during a recent general election.
Quick Read
- Protests in Serbia Against Election Fraud: Thousands of people rallied in Belgrade, Serbia, protesting alleged fraud in the recent general election on December 17. The protestors accused President Aleksandar Vucic’s government of manipulating the election results.
- Serbia Against Violence Alleges Stolen Election: The main opposition alliance, Serbia Against Violence, has led the protests, claiming that the election, particularly for the Belgrade city authorities, was stolen.
- Marinika Tepic’s Hunger Strike and Rally Appearance: Opposition politician Marinika Tepic, who has been on a hunger strike since the election, appeared at the rally, urging for a rerun of the elections.
- Call for International Intervention: The opposition has called on the international community to intervene, set up a commission to investigate the alleged irregularities, and pressure Serbian authorities for a fair and free rerun of the election.
- March Towards State Institutions: After the speeches, protestors marched towards the headquarters of the state electoral commission and Serbia’s Constitutional Court, which will rule on electoral complaints.
- Public Outrage and Demands for Fair Elections: Protestors expressed feelings of humiliation and the need for fair elections, with some citing the desire for a better life and functional state institutions.
- Ruling Party’s Response: Ruling party leader Milos Vucevic downplayed the significance of the protests, claiming that the low turnout indicated public disinterest in the opposition.
- International Observers Report Irregularities: International watchdogs have reported multiple election irregularities, including vote-buying and ballot stuffing. Local monitors alleged that voters were bussed in to vote in Belgrade.
- Vucic’s Denial of Fraud: President Vucic and his party have dismissed these reports as false, maintaining that the elections were fair.
- Historical Significance of Protest Location: The rally was held in a central area in Belgrade, historically known for demonstrations against Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s. Critics allege Vucic, a former Milosevic ally, has reinstated autocracy since 2012.
- Violence at Previous Protests: There were instances of violence at previous protests, with at least 38 people detained after an attempt to enter Belgrade city hall.
- Serbia’s EU Ambitions and Ties with Russia: While Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, it has maintained close relations with Moscow and has not joined Western sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Russian officials have supported Vucic’s stance on the protests and the election’s fairness.
The Associated Press has the story:
Thousands accuse Serbia’s ruling populists of election fraud at a Belgrade rally
Newslooks- BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)
Thousands of people rallied in Serbia’s capital on Saturday, chanting “Thieves!” and accusing the populist authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic of orchestrating a fraud during a recent general election.
The big rally in central Belgrade capped nearly two weeks of street protests against reported widespread irregularities during the Dec. 17 parliamentary and local ballot that were also noted by international election observers.
The ruling Serbian Progressive Party was declared the election winner but the main opposition alliance, Serbia Against Violence, has claimed the election was stolen, particularly in the vote for the Belgrade city authorities.
Serbia Against Violence has led daily protests since Dec. 17 demanding that the vote be annulled and rerun. Tensions have soared following violent incidents and arrests of opposition supporters at a protest last weekend.
The crowd at the rally on Saturday roared in approval at the appearance of Marinika Tepic, a leading opposition politician who has been on a hunger strike since the ballot. Tepic’s health reportedly has been jeopardized and she was expected to be hospitalized after appearing at the rally.
“These elections must be rerun,” a frail-looking Tepic told the crowd, waving feebly from the stage and saying she doesn’t have the strength to make a longer speech.
Another opposition politician, Radomir Lazovic, urged the international community “not to stay silent” and set up a commission to look into the irregularities and pressure authorities to hold a new election that’s free and fair.
After the speeches, participants marched by the headquarters of the state electoral commission toward Serbia’s Constitutional Court that will ultimately rule on electoral complaints.
A protester from Belgrade, Rajko Dimitrijevic, said he came to the rally because he felt “humiliation” and the “doctoring of the people’s will.”
Ivana Grobic, also from Belgrade, said she had always joined protests “because I want a better life, I want the institutions of this country to do their job.”
It was not immediately clear if or when opposition protests would resume. The rally on Saturday was organized by an independent civic initiative, ProGlas, or pro-vote, that had campaigned for high turnout ahead of the ballot.
Ruling party leader Milos Vucevic said the “small number of demonstrators” at the rally on Saturday showed that “people don’t want them (the opposition.)”
The opposition has urged an international probe of the vote after representatives of several global watchdogs reported multiple irregularities, including cases of vote-buying and ballot box stuffing.
Local election monitors also alleged that voters from across Serbia and neighboring countries were registered and bused in to cast ballots in Belgrade.
Vucic and his party have rejected the reports as “fabricated.”
Saturday’s gathering symbolically was organized at a central area in Belgrade that in the early 1990s was the scene of demonstrations against strongman Slobodan Milosevic’s warmongering and undemocratic policies.
Critics nowadays say that Vucic, who was an ultranationalist ally of Milosevic in the 1990s, has reinstated that autocracy in Serbia since coming to power in 2012, by taking full control over the media and all state institutions.
Vucic has said the elections were fair and his party won. He accused the opposition of inciting violence at protests with the aim of overthrowing the government under instructions from abroad, which opposition leaders have denied.
On Sunday evening, protesters tried to enter Belgrade city hall, breaking windows, before riot police pushed them back using tear gas, pepper spray and batons. Police detained at least 38 people.
Serbia is formally seeking membership in the European Union, but the Balkan nation has maintained close ties with Moscow and has refused to join Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian officials have extended full support to Vucic in the crackdown against the protesters and backed his claims that the vote was free and fair.
