Thousands of people gathered in a square in central Belgrade in the largest-ever protest in connection with parliamentary and local elections on December 17, the results of which demonstrators want annulled, Reuters reported.
Protesters waved Serbian flags, held a placard reading “We do not accept” and hailed Marinika Tepic, leader of the opposition alliance Serbia Against Violence, which has been on hunger strike since December 18.
The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 46.72 percent of the vote in early parliamentary elections on December 17, according to preliminary results from the state election commission.
“These elections must be annulled,” said Tepic, who came to the stage in front of the Moscow Hotel with the help of two of her colleagues.
The “Serbia Against Violence” coalition, which came second in the general election, accused the SPP of electoral manipulation, which the authorities deny.
The International Vote Monitoring Mission said the SPP gained an unfair advantage due to media bias, undue influence by President Aleksandar Vucic and election irregularities such as vote buying.
Serbian authorities deny any wrongdoing.
Since December 17, the opposition has been holding daily protests against the election results in front of the headquarters of the electoral commission, which usually involve several hundred people.
They are preparing a new protest in the center of Belgrade
The protest today was supported by student organizations and the “ProGlass” initiative, uniting public figures, including prominent intellectuals and actors.
In the elections, “Serbia Against Violence” took second place with 23.56 percent of the vote. The Socialist Party of Serbia was third with 6.56 percent.
The final results of the elections will probably not be published before next month, according to the agency quoted by BTA.
2023-12-30 16:36:24
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