Latest news with #MilošVučević
Euractiv
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
Serbian protests escalate as students demand early vote
Serbia's protest movement has entered a new phase of defiance, with nationwide roadblocks disrupting traffic for three consecutive days as citizens demand snap parliamentary elections. Following a demonstration reportedly bringing together more than 140,000 people in central Belgrade on Saturday, student representatives declared the government 'illegitimate' and issued an "ultimatum": call snap elections by 9 pm that night. The deadline passed without a response, and clashes with police ensued, resulting in injuries on both sides. Just a few hours later, the Gazela motorway bridge, the main arteries of Belgrade, and all major access routes to the Serbian capital were blocked by spontaneously erected barricades. The movement then spread across the rest of the country from Sunday to Monday night, before police began dismantling the blockades in the morning. Vučić on Monday dismissed the blockades as 'terrorist activity." The statement has done little to slow the protest movement, which is organising through social media and advocating for mobile barricades while avoiding direct confrontation with police. By Tuesday, disruptions were ongoing in Zemun, Savski Venac, and across several other parts of the capital, according to an interactive map updated by the demonstrators. Offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have also been targeted with rubbish. Last January, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević was forced to resign after SNS activists violently attacked students. But the new cabinet appointed in April has largely recycled ministers who were already in office. Students have been challenging Serbia's highly authoritarian President, Aleksandar Vučić, and denouncing official corruption ever since the roof of Novi Sad's recently renovated railway station collapsed on 1 November 2024, killing 16 people. The Russians are back As is often the case when protests catch the Serbian authorities off guard, Vučić has been able to count on a small boost from the Kremlin. Over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West against instigating a 'colour revolution' in Serbia. That statement came despite last month's diplomatic spat, when Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Belgrade of exporting arms to Ukraine through third countries. On Monday, Vučić did not fail to thank his 'Russian friends' for their understanding, just after he announced the 'suspension' of all Serbian arms exports abroad. Whether or not the idea of a Western-backed colour revolution bears any resemblance to reality is beside the point. The Serbian regime enjoys the support of Paris, Berlin, and Brussels – all of whom are wary of fresh instability in the Balkans. If this was not enough, Vučić ultimately knows how to turn to the East whenever pressure builds at home. (mm)
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Serbian PM resigns after months of protests
Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned on Tuesday following intense pressure from anti-government protesters over a deadly roof collapse. The incident at a train station killed 15 people in Serbia's second-largest city in November and sparked widespread outcry as many blamed government corruption for the incident, Euronews reported. On Monday, tens of thousands of protesters began a 24-hour blockade of a main traffic intersection in Belgrade, leading the country's President Aleksandar Vučić to announce plans for 'an urgent and extensive reconstruction of the government.' Despite this, Vučević, a key ally of the populist president, announced his resignation, making him the highest-ranking official to quit since protests began. Vučević was also the mayor of Novi Sad, the city where the deadly incident took place, from 2012 to 2022, Euronews wrote. Vučević's resignation is likely to trigger early parliamentary elections, France24 reported, which the government will decide on in the next 30 days.
The Guardian
28-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Serbian prime minister resigns as popular protests persist
The Serbian prime minister, Miloš Vučević, has resigned a day after Serbian students staged a daylong blockage of a main traffic intersection in Belgrade with the support of farmers, stepping up pressure on the president, Aleksandar Vučić. He said he decided after a group of students was attacked in the northern city of Novi Sad the previous night, with one woman seriously injured. She has since been discharged from hospital at her request. The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after a roof collapsed at a railway station in the city on 1 November, killing 15 people
