In Serbia capital thousands of people gathered on Saturday, loudly chanting “Thieves!” and accusing President Aleksandar Vucic’s populist authorities of orchestrating fraud in the recent general election. This significant rally in central Belgrade marked the culmination of nearly two weeks of street protests, triggered by reported widespread irregularities during the parliamentary and local ballot on December 17, a concern also noted by international election observers.
While the ruling Serbian Progressive Party was officially declared the winner of the election, the main opposition alliance, Serbia Against Violence, has steadfastly claimed that the election was stolen, particularly highlighting discrepancies in the vote for the Belgrade city authorities.
Serbia Against Violence has spearheaded daily protests since December 17, consistently demanding the annulment of the vote and a rerun. Tensions have escalated in the aftermath of violent incidents, including the arrests of opposition supporters during a protest last weekend. The situation remains highly charged as the public voices its discontent against alleged electoral malpractices.
The crowd at the rally on Saturday roared in approval at the appearance of Marinika Tepic, a leading opposition politician who has been on a hunger strike since the ballot. Tepic’s health reportedly has been jeopardized and she was expected to be hospitalized after appearing at the rally.
“These elections must be rerun,” a frail-looking Tepic told the crowd, waving feebly from the stage and saying she doesn’t have the strength to make a longer speech.
Another opposition politician, Radomir Lazovic, urged the international community “not to stay silent” and set up a commission to look into the irregularities and pressure authorities to hold a new election that’s free and fair. In Serbia capital
After the speeches, participants marched by the headquarters of the state electoral commission toward Serbia’s Constitutional Court that will ultimately rule on electoral complaints.
A protester from Belgrade, Rajko Dimitrijevic, said he came to the rally because he felt “humiliation” and the “doctoring of the people’s will.”
Ivana Grobic, also from Belgrade, said she had always joined protests “because I want a better life, I want the institutions of this country to do their job.”