Daily Tribune
Protester hold a banner and rise stickers reading "We don't accept!", as they attend a rally of "ProGlas", a Serbian pro-democracy movement, to protest against alleged electoral fraud, in Belgrade, on 30 December 2023. Following the parliamentary and local elections on December 17, prominent figures from Serbia's intellectual, artistic, and celebrity communities have voiced their protest against what they allege to be electoral fraud. These groups are challenging the legitimacy of the election results, which indicate a substantial victory for President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The opposition has disputed these results, leading to widespread public demonstrations. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
A wave of nationwide protests has erupted in Serbia as tensions between the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the opposition group 13 August turned violent.
Clashes broke out when SNS supporters hurled firecrackers and flares at anti-government demonstrators. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said 16 police officers and about 60 SNS supporters were injured in the unrest, adding that the violence may have been influenced by foreign powers.
Protesters are blaming government corruption for last year’s Novi Sad railway station roof collapse, which killed 16 people. The tragedy was linked to alleged shoddy construction on a Chinese-funded project. The opposition is now demanding early elections to end President Aleksandar Vučić’s 13-year rule.
The demonstrations swept through major cities, including Novi Sad and the capital Belgrade, in what has become one of the most significant challenges to Vučić’s government in years.
