After elections in Serbia – thousands protest in Belgrade against alleged election fraud – News

  • There were serious clashes between demonstrators and the police on Christmas Eve in the Serbian capital Belgrade.
  • Protesters tried to storm the headquarters of the local electoral commission in Belgrade City Hall. The police used irritants. 30 police officers and over 30 civilians were injured.
  • The demonstrators are demanding an annulment of the parliamentary and local elections from a week ago.
  • On Monday evening, several thousand supporters of the Serbian opposition marched through downtown Belgrade and shouted “Thieves, thieves!”

Police forces used irritants against the demonstrators. It wasn’t until around 10 p.m. that the police were able to push the demonstrators back from the town hall. Two police officers were seriously injured, said police chief Ivica Ivkovic. He announced further arrests. The opposition parties accused the police of excessive force. Footage of police beating men in streets near Belgrade City Hall circulated on social networks. The opposition wants to continue the protests.

The demonstrators’ criticism was also directed at Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. His party, the Serbian Progressive Party SNS, won victories in early parliamentary and local elections in many cities, including Belgrade. In the capital Belgrade, their success on December 17th was narrow. The opposition criticizes that this only came about through massive fraud.

Reports of irregularities

An international election observation mission said President Vucic’s ruling SNS party had gained an unfair advantage through media influence and voting irregularities such as vote buying. The media also reported numerous irregularities. Among other things, buses are said to have brought people from the Serbian part of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Belgrade Arena, where they cast their votes without being eligible to vote. However, Vucic denied the allegations on Sunday and said the elections were fair.

Statement from the Serbian Ambassador to Switzerland


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Goran Bradic is Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Switzerland.

“Unfortunately, we saw very bad scenes in Belgrade on Sunday evening. This protest was neither registered nor authorized, but the police showed maximum restraint. Unfortunately, 36 police officers were injured and the demonstrations had to be broken up. But in Serbia there is freedom of assembly, freedom of expression. There is no problem announcing a protest demonstration and having it approved, but the violence is unacceptable.”

«The elections in Serbia were fair and transparent. Not because I say so as ambassador or because my President or Prime Minister said so. I would like to quote the American ambassador in Belgrade, who had twelve observation teams at his disposal. He said after the elections: I look forward to working with the new government of Serbia. If he had any concerns or reservations, I don’t think he would have said anything like that. Of course, there were certain accusations and objections. And the responsible authorities, the electoral commission, the Ministry of the Interior have already started investigating whether that is true or not.

The Serbian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Saturday evening in Belgrade that it had been reported to several violations of electoral regulations, including the incident in the Belgrade Arena.

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