The protest movement in Serbia has grown stronger following fraud during the recent parliamentary elections on December 17th. On Friday protesters declared their intention to block the streets of the capital.
On Friday hundreds of opposition activists students announced a plan to block the streets of Belgrade for 24 hours. Their actions are in response to the victory of the right wing party in Serbias parliamentary elections. The protesters are strongly condemning any activities that may have tainted the election process.
So what happened?
The main opposition coalition, Serbia Against Violence claims that Bosnian voters living nearby were illegally allowed to vote in Belgrade on December 17th. International observers from organizations such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have also reported “irregularities” during the voting process including instances of “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing.”
Official results indicate that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucics wing nationalist party (SNS) secured 46% of the vote while the opposition coalition obtained 23.5%. Since then various protests have taken place with demonstrators blocking roads in the capital city demanding nullification of this election and calling for elections.
During Sunday evenings events demonstrators attempted to gain entry, into Belgrades city hall by smashing its windows. Were ultimately repelled by police forces.
Furthermore the court in Belgrade has declared that the four individuals who were detained will be held in custody for a period of thirty days due to their involvement in ” conduct during public gatherings.”
Additionally it has been reported that six other individuals are currently under house arrest on charges with one of them having been released. The seven protesters who were arrested have admitted their guilt. Have each been given a suspended sentence of six months along with a fine amounting, to 20,000 Serbian dinars (€171).
