Belgrade will see another large student-organized protest on Saturday, as the protesters call for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to demand early parliamentary elections. The protest, almost eight months into mass anti-corruption rallies, is an expression of increasing discontent with Vucic’s government and his regime’s approach to public infrastructure and governance.
Demonstrations first broke out after November 1 when the newly refurbished canopy of a rail station collapsed, killing 16. State infrastructure projects were widely blamed for the disaster on corruption and negligence, stoking repeated nationwide disturbances.
Although there have been ongoing demands for a snap election, Vucic and his governing Serbian Progressive Party have stood firm, instead labelling protesters as the agents of foreign influence, although no proof has been produced.
In a display of defiance, Vucic emerged in public Saturday to hand out presidential awards to some citizens. Pro-government supporters meanwhile persisted in their protest outside the presidential office, holding what they referred to as a “literary evening.”
“People need not worry the state will be defended and thugs brought to justice,” Vucic said to journalists.
The protest coincides with St. Vitus Day, a national holiday marking a legendary 14th-century battle. Security forces have taken preemptive action, including pre-emptive arrests on charges of coup plot and foreign nationals barred from entering the country. Train services were also halted following a bomb alert that critics say was aimed at quashing protest participation.
Serbia’s next polls are due in 2027. Vucic, who rose to power a decade ago, is accused by opposition leaders and activists of ever more authoritarian rule, muzzling media freedom and warming up to Russia and China, though also expressing EU accession support in public.
As tensions rise further, everyone’s eyes are on the developing protest and its possibility of redefining Serbia’s politics.
