- Clashes broke out between demonstrators and the police in the Serbian capital Belgrade.
- Protesters tried to break into Belgrade City Hall, the headquarters of the local electoral commission. The police used tear gas.
- It was the seventh protest in a row. The demonstrators are demanding an annulment of the parliamentary and local elections from a week ago.
A week after the parliamentary elections in Serbia, thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday. The opposition supporters demonstrated against alleged electoral fraud and called for the election to be annulled.
Criticism of Serbian President Vucic
The participants of the rally marched to Belgrade City Hall, which they attempted to enter by force. According to consistent media reports, police forces used tear gas against the demonstrators and pushed them away from the town hall.
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. According to the opposition, this only came about through massive fraud.
Reports of election irregularities
An international election observation mission said President Aleksandar 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 votes without being eligible to vote.
Vucic denied allegations of voter fraud on Sunday and said the elections were fair. The Serbian Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Saturday evening in Belgrade that it had been reported to several violations of electoral regulations, including the activities in the Belgrade Arena.