Thousands of Serbs took to the streets in central Belgrade on Saturday, December 30, to protest against fraud that they said marred the December 17 parliamentary elections won by the nationalist right.
This is the 13th demonstration in as many days since the results of the parliamentary and local elections were announced, according to which President Aleksandar Vucic's SNS (Nationalist Right) party, in power since 2012, received 46% of the vote. compared to 23.5% for the opposition coalition.
The opposition disputed the results, citing numerous irregularities, including the fact that Bosnian Serbs were illegally allowed to vote in the capital. International observers also reported numerous irregularities.
Protesters from all sides
Saturday's demonstration is organized by a group of intellectuals, artists and celebrities, ProGlass (a play on words that means both “proclamation” and “provoke”). ProGlass began with a campaign urging people to vote, and their proclamation then morphed into a protest against fraud.
But the demonstrators gathered on Saturday come from all sides, from the main opposition coalition “Serbia Against Violence” to student and youth groups who have been demonstrating for almost two weeks.
Also read the editorial: Serbia's dangerous double game
“Students aged 18 and 20 are accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and are being placed under house arrest. Is this a sign of fair elections? said one of the leaders of the student movement, Emilija Milenkovic, on Saturday. We simply ask that our voice is at least heard in the vote. »
A university professor, Filip Ejdus, welcomed the fact that students today “are teaching us lessons in civic responsibility and courage.” “We reject these stolen elections, student arrests and police torture,” he added. On Friday, students, at the call of the Borba (“Struggle”) group, managed to block a street in the center of Belgrade.
“These elections must be canceled”
The demonstrators are demanding the cancellation of the elections and serious investigations into fraud so that new elections can take place in six months. On Saturday, the audience particularly cheered for opposition leader Marinika Tepic, who had been on hunger strike since December 18 and had to be brought on stage.
“The only thing I can tell you is that everything has already been said. “These elections must be canceled,” she said before heading to the hospital and announcing she was ending her hunger strike.
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The location of the gathering around the Terazije Fountain is symbolic and associated with memories of the four days of demonstrations in March 1991, the first major protests against the strongman of the time, Slobodan Milosevic.
On Sunday, December 24, demonstrators denouncing the disputed results of Serbia's parliamentary elections attacked Belgrade City Hall, smashing windows with stones and then being pushed back by police. There were around thirty arrests.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers “It’s time for action”: Demonstrations against the Vucic regime continue in Belgrade