Belgrade (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tens of thousands of people from across Serbia are expected to participate in an anti-corruption protest in Belgrade, in what is witnessed as a culmination of months of demonstrations that have shocked the hold of the country’s president, Aleksandar Vučić.
Based on reports, tensions are escalating, as the president’s followers have begun setting up camp in a park in front of the presidential castle. Earlier this week, Vučić cautioned that security officers would use force against people at the march, planned for Saturday.
Vučić stated the demonstrators would never push him to stand down.
“You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,”
He said.
Why are Serbians protesting against Aleksandar Vučić?
The country has seen near-daily demonstrations since last November when a station canopy crumpled, killing 14 people in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second city. Many condemned rampant corruption for the tragedy at the station, which was opened by Vučić in 2022 after renovations.
According to experts, Vučić and his Serbian Progressive party, which has effectively marginalised the official opposition, have upset the balance by the student demonstrations, a leaderless movement that is striving for root and branch reform but without a clear strategy for democratic change.
Protesters are urging accountability for the tragedy at Novi Sad, as well as transparent institutions, based on the rule of law. More than a dozen people have been arrested in connection with the deadly roof canopy failure. The then prime minister, Miloš Vučević, a former mayor of Novi Sad when renovation of the station started, resigned in January, as did the former mayor.
Moreover, Vučić, widely noticed to have renounced his prime minister to defend his position, has ruled out creating a transitional government and maintaining elections in six months. Reflecting Russian narratives, he has portrayed the demonstrations as a western-orchestrated plot to oust him from power and beat Serbia.
Foreign observers are growing concerned regarding violence against demonstrators, after happenings where cars drove into demonstrators and some anti-corruption demonstrators were hospitalised.
Why are MEPs criticizing the EU’s approach to Serbia?
“Serbia’s response to these protests will be a decisive test of its commitment to EU standards,”
A cross-party group of members of the European parliament reported in a letter to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, this week.
The MEPs claim that the European Union has been “too lenient and indulgent” towards Serbia’s administration. The group insists von der Leyen to ensure Serbia has “free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, free media, and the rule of law” before unleashing any EU funds.
