For several consecutive days, hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to protest against alleged fraud in polling stations and to demand the annulment of the result of the general elections of December 17. .
As in previous days, the demonstration was called by the opposition coalition “Serbia Against Violence” (SPN), which is demanding an independent investigation by an international commission into its allegations of electoral fraud.
“We want the elections to be canceled and new elections to be held, but under clean conditions,” SPN member Mila Popovic told the crowd outside the Electoral Commission (RIK) headquarters.
“To achieve this (new elections), we will request the formation of an independent international commission that will investigate our allegations, although observers have already supported us, we will also include our institutions, our courts will have the opportunity to determine injustices and to administer justice, which they must do.
Various demonstrators
Although the demonstrations were widely described as “student protests”, Serbs of all ages and social strata came out in force. And although the demonstrations were widely described as “student protests,” Serbs of all ages and social strata came out in force.
Like, Visnja Samoukovic, protester: “Like every evening, I am here because I support the protest of the theft of elections, a truly abnormal situation which, I hope, can be internationalized and inform the world, especially the ‘Europe and the United States, that something very unusual (bad) is happening here.’
A court in Belgrade on Wednesday placed four of the 38 people arrested during clashes with law enforcement in pre-trial detention for 30 days.
The opposition says its protests will not stop until the official results of the December 17 vote are annulled. In addition to municipal elections in 65 cities, including Belgrade, a new parliament and the regional assembly of Vojvodina were elected.
The protests are growing
New demonstrations are planned for this Saturday, December 30. The authorities reject these accusations, which they attribute to attempts to destabilize the country and seek to “change the electoral will”. Belgrade – and official Moscow, an ally of Mr. Vucic’s traditionalist government – inferred that “external forces” were spurring the protests, trying to organize “Maidan” (like the mass demonstrations in Ukraine that toppled the government pro-Russian and anti-EU of Yanukovych 10 years ago).
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) found that the playing field was uneven during the campaign, with Mr Vucic’s dominant presence in the media campaign favoring the SNS. Furthermore, observers of the OSCE found abuses of public resources and a lack of separation between official and campaign activities, as well as pressure on voters, including vote buying. Several hundred protesters gathered at the organization’s appeal to the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade to request a revision of the electoral lists.
“We are announcing a 24-hour blockade on Friday,” activist Ivan Bijelic said at the rally.
According to the main opposition coalition, Serbia Against Violence, Serbian voters from neighboring Bosnia were illegally allowed to vote in Belgrade on December 17.
Irregularities noted by observers
International observers, including those from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also reported “irregularities” during the vote, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”.
According to Ivan Bijelic, the blocking of the streets should begin on Friday at noon (11:00 GMT). It will be lifted the next day to allow protesters to join another demonstration, organized by a group of intellectuals, artists and celebrities.
According to official results, the SNS (nationalist right) party of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic won 46% of the vote against 23.5% for the opposition coalition.
Since the election, protest actions, during which demonstrations blocked arteries in the capital, have multiplied, demanding the cancellation of the vote and the holding of new elections.
Violence on the sidelines of demonstrations
Demonstrators notably attempted to enter Belgrade town hall on Sunday evening, breaking windows, before being pushed back by the police.
Separately, a Belgrade court announced that four arrested protesters would remain in detention for another 30 days, accused of “violent behavior during a public gathering.”
Six other people are under house arrest on the same charges and one person has been released, the court announced.
Seven arrested protesters, who pleaded guilty, were given suspended prison sentences of up to six months and fines of 20,000 Serbian dinars (171 euros) each.