Thousands of people protest in Belgrade/ Demand the cancellation of the December 17 elections

2023-12-30 20:16:34, Kosova & Bota CNA

Thousands of people protest in Belgrade/ Demand the cancellation of the December

Thousands of people protested in Belgrade on Saturday demanding the annulment of elections that were held two weeks ago due to allegations of fraud by the ruling party of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

In Saturday's protest, which was organized by the informal citizen initiative, "Pro glas", which is formed by well-known public figures, it was demanded that new parliamentary and local elections be held in Serbia within six months. The initiative first requires changing the electoral process to create conditions for fair elections.

Some participants said they are protesting against the injustices of the December 17 election.

"I am always present in these protests, because I want a better life, I want the institutions of this country to do their job", said Ivana Grobi?.

"Enough with theft, enough with the hard life. We cannot make changes otherwise, only with a large number of people (on the streets). I am giving my contribution by being here", said Gordana Kostic.

Supporters of the opposition coalition "Serbia Against Violence" assert that irregularities were also identified by local and international observers in the general and local elections, including those for the municipality of Belgrade.

Some opposition politicians are on hunger strike.

Today's protest was joined by groups of students who blocked several streets in Belgrade for 24 hours demanding that the authorities open the voter lists, after claims that many people who do not live in Belgrade have voted there.

The opposition last week asked the European Union to investigate the election results after international observers said the polls were held in "unfair conditions.

The investigation of the election process has also been requested by the United States and the European Union, who have called for the cooperation of the Serbian authorities with the OSCE mission, in order to respond to the shortcomings in the democratic processes.

The protests, which usually start in the evening hours, escalated last weekend when a group of participants tried to force their way into the Belgrade City Hall building. In an attempt to stop them, the police used tear gas and rubber batons to disperse them.

The government has denied that there was any misuse of votes and insists that the elections were fair, despite criticism from international and local election observers.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has described the protests as an attempt to overthrow the government with help from abroad, but without providing any evidence for such claims.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said without providing any evidence that Western countries tried to organize a coup in Serbia after the parliamentary elections since Belgrade did not join the sanctions against Russia.

Serbia formally seeks membership in the European Union, but maintains close ties with Moscow and has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine./ VOA