Serbian police reported on Monday, December 25, that they had arrested at least 38 people who took part in a protest last Sunday, December 17, against alleged irregularities in the parliamentary elections. According to preliminary results from the State Election Commission, the ruling populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has won the parliamentary and local elections. However, an international monitoring mission reported that the SNS gained an “unfair” advantage due to President Aleksandar Vučić's undue influence and voting irregularities such as vote buying.
First change: December 25, 2023 – 3:45 p.m
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The opposition, led by the center-left Serbia Against Violence Alliance, warns that protests will continue this Monday, December 25, and that students are planning to block traffic.
Amid expectations of further mobilizations, police announced they would not allow roads or bridges to be closed in the capital.
The facility is “prepared and able to resolutely confront any act of violence,” said the head of the police administration, Ivica Ivkovic.
The announcement came after authorities reported that 38 people were arrested and at least eight police officers were injured during the protest the night before. Those arrested face charges of inciting a violent change in the constitutional order (in connection with an attempt to overthrow the government) and violent behavior.
Thousands of people gathered in the center of the capital Belgrade on Sunday December 24th to demand the annulment of the December 17th parliamentary and local elections. Elections that international observers described as “unfair.”
Protesters smashed windows and glass at the main entrance to City Hall, where they tried to enter before officers used pepper spray, tear gas and batons to disperse them.
Ivkovic assured that two of the eight injured uniformed personnel suffered serious injuries.
“We will continue to work to maintain peace and order and we hope that there will be further arrests in connection with last night's protests,” Ivkovic said at a news conference.
Opposition parties accused police of excessive force and some social media showed images of officers beating men in streets near city hall.
What irregularities are you denouncing after the elections in Serbia?
According to preliminary results from the State Election Commission, the ruling populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 46.72% of the vote in last weekend's early parliamentary elections.
But the opposition group “Serbia Against Violence” has been organizing protests since the December 17 election, claiming there was voter fraud, particularly in the capital, Belgrade. Some politicians even went on hunger strike.
An international monitoring mission claims the SNS gained an “unfair” advantage. The reason? Representatives of several monitoring and human rights organizations that monitored the elections reported several irregularities during the voting, including cases of vote buying and ballot box stuffing.
They also pointed to unequal conditions for opposition candidates, such as the ruling party's misuse of public resources, media bias in the time allocated to official candidates and the undue influence of President Aleksandar Vucic.
A protester raises his fist as police officers guard the entrance to Belgrade City Hall during a demonstration in the capital on December 24, 2023, a week after parliamentary and local elections. The opposition and demonstrators denounce irregularities and demand that the election results be annulled. © AFP/Andréj Isakovic
However, the Serbian Progressive Party denied electoral fraud and described the elections as “fair”, despite criticism from international and local observers.
President Aleksandar Vučić viewed Sunday's protests as an “attempt to overthrow the government with foreign help,” without elaborating on what he meant.
European Union-hoping Serbia has resisted pressure from Western countries to impose sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has been one of Belgrade's closest allies for decades, especially after 1999, when Russia opposed NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia, which also included Serbia and Montenegro.
In view of the current criticism and protests, the Kremlin's support for the Serbian government movement is once again evident. The country's Prime Minister Ana Brnabić thanked Russia on Sunday evening for his government's warning against violent protests against the election results.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko met with President Vučić this Monday and assured that the Serbian president had “irrefutable evidence” that the West was encouraging opposition protests.
With Portal and AP