Riot police in Serbia on Sunday fired tear gas to prevent hundreds of opposition supporters from entering the capital’s city council building in protest of what election observers said were widespread vote irregularities during a general election on Dec. 17.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called claims of irregularities in the vote blatant lies promoted by political opposition, while the unrest was instigate from abroad.
He said that 35 people were arrested and more detentions would follow in the unrest, which he said was instigated from abroad, without providing evidence to support that claim.
Photo: Reuters
“This was an attempted violent takeover of the state institutions of the Republic of Serbia,” Vucic told the pro-government Pink TV.
The country’s populist authorities have denied rigging the vote and described the election to fill parliament and local offices as fair.
Addressing the nation on state media as the protest took place outside Belgrade City Hall, Vucic called the demonstrators “thugs” who would not succeed in destabilizing the state.
“This is not a revolution,” he said.
“They will not succeed,” he added. “We are doing our best with our calm and mild reaction not to hurt demonstrators” who came to the event to protest peacefully.
Shielded riot police first barricaded themselves inside the city government building, firing tear gas and pepper spray as hundreds of opposition protesters broke windows at the entrance. Later, the police pushed the crowd from the downtown area and made several arrests.
The protesters shouted: “Open the door” and “thieves,” as they pelted the building with eggs and stones. Some chanted: “Vucic is Putin,” comparing the Serbian president to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nebojsa Zelenovic, one of the leaders of the opposition Serbia Against Violence alliance, said that police officers swarmed all of downtown Belgrade, including the roofs of buildings.
“Police are everywhere, also on the roofs. It is obvious that they do not want to recognize [the] election results. We will continue with our fight,” Zelenovic said.
The area is home to the national parliament and the presidential headquarters along with the city government.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Results from the Dec. 17 election showed a victory for Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party in both the parliamentary and Belgrade city ballots. Serbia Against Violence, the party’s main opponent, said it was robbed of a win, especially in Belgrade.
An observation mission made up of representatives of international rights watchdogs reported multiple irregularities, included cases of bought votes and the stuffing of ballot boxes.
The observers also noted unjust conditions for opposition candidates due to media bias, an abuse of public resources and the president’s dominance during the campaign.
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