Tensions rise in Belgrade as demonstrators call for fair elections
13 oC
13 oC
Güneşli
13 oC
Güneşli
Tensions flared in the Serbian capital on Sunday as thousands of protestors gathered to demand the annulment of recent parliamentary and local elections.
The demonstrations stemmed from allegations of unfairness and irregularities leveled by international observers and the opposition, casting a shadow over the results that saw the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) emerge victorious.
An international monitoring mission reported on Monday that the SNS had gained an unfair advantage due to media bias, the improper influence of President Aleksandar Vucic, and voting irregularities, including allegations of vote buying.
President Vucic insisted that the elections were conducted fairly despite the allegations.
During Sunday's protest, tension escalated as the crowd attempted to break into the Belgrade town hall, where the local election commission is based. In response, the police deployed pepper spray, and some protesters climbed the building, breaking windows. Objects, including stones, were thrown at windows, resulting in shattered glass.
Chants of "Vucic thief" echoed through the crowd.
In an official statement, the interior ministry urged protesters to "refrain from breaking into the town hall." President Vucic, in an address later in the evening, called for calm and stated, "By reacting calmly, we are trying not to hurt protesters."
The center-left opposition alliance, Serbia Against Violence, secured the second position in the elections with 23.56% of the vote, while the Socialist Party of Serbia came in third with 6.56%.
Srdjan Milivojevic and Vladimir Obradovic of the Serbia Against Violence coalition attempted to open the door of the town hall during the protest but were unsuccessful. The crowd urged them with chants of "get in, get in," and "no surrender."
By 10 p.m. (2100 GMT), the anti-riot police intervened, pushing protestors away from the town hall.
The situation remains volatile, with the opposition vowing to continue their fight for a fair electoral process. A member of Serbia Against Violence, Marinika Tepic, has been on a hunger strike since the elections, further amplifying the pressure on the authorities.
It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the mounting demands and whether new elections will be called. (ILKHA)
LEGAL WARNING: All rights of the published news, photos and videos are reserved by İlke Haber Ajansı Basın Yayın San. Trade A.Ş. Under no circumstances can all or part of the news, photos and videos be used without a written contract or subscription.
Mohammad Al-Hindi, Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement, has categorically rejected baseless Israeli claims of disarmament clauses in the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement, affirming that the Palestinian people's right to armed resistance against occupation remains non-negotiable.
A homemade bomb detonated at a teashop in Narathiwat’s Yi Ngor district on Thursday morning, injuring three police officers and six civilians, authorities reported.
In a series of overnight and early morning raids across the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces detained numerous Palestinians, sealed off a town, and demolished a home, drawing condemnation from local officials.
Palestinian author Basem Khandaqji, freshly released from Israeli captivity and now exiled to Egypt, held physical copies of his own novels in his hands for the first time in over two decades.
