AGI – Two police officers were “seriously injured” during protests over alleged election fraud by Serbian opposition demonstrators who attempted to storm Belgrade City Hall. He explained it Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Others suffered minor injuries, he added. Over 35 people were arrested.
Vucic described the incidents as an attempt at a “forced takeover of state institutions,” adding that there were indications that “everything was prepared in advance.”
“We have solid evidence of this and we will not give up. No one has the right to destroy our homes, to destroy the property of our country and our citizens, let alone destroy it.” They caused serious injuries to our police officers“Vucic concluded in his speech on pro-government Pink television.
Thousands of supporters of the opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence (SPN) demonstrated in Belgrade to demand a repeat of the December 17 parliamentary elections amid allegations of vote-rigging. The seventh protest in front of the headquarters of the Electoral Commission (RIK) over alleged electoral fraud in favor of President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling party SNS was the largest so far.
The situation worsened when opposition leaders visitedafter the first procession, to the nearby building City hall during an attempted break-in and then from there address the citizens as “election winners”. The demonstrators threw stones, sticks and eggs at the building, broke windows and tried to force their way in, but were repelled with tear gas by a riot police unit.
The controversial elections
A week ago, Serbia held elections for the National Parliament, the Assembly of Vojvodina and local elections in 65 cities, including Belgrade The SNP expected victory and believe it was “stolen” through manipulation. The SPN, the largest opposition party, does not recognize the election results and is calling for them to be annulled.
In recent days they have organized protests to “defend the votes” while several SPN fighters are on hunger strike at Rik headquarters. According to official results, the SNS won the parliamentary elections with 47% of the vote, twice as much as the opposition coalition SPN.
The SNS narrowly won the local elections in Belgrade and the formation of the local government remains uncertain due to the lack of a clear majority, which is why Vucic left open the possibility of new elections in the capital. The authorities reject the opposition's allegations of manipulation and assured that the institutions would investigate the complaints. Vucic today accused the SPN leaders of “brutal pressure on the institutions” with the aim of “changing the electoral will”.
Reprint reserved © Agi 2023