Serbian opposition protests against election fraud: Details
In Serbia, the opposition protests against election falsifications (photo: GettyImages)
In Belgrade, hundreds of people took to the streets in protest following the announcement of election results by the electoral commission, reports Radio Liberty.
Protesters, mostly supporters of the Pro-European Serbia Against Violence coalition, gathered outside the buildings of the electoral commission and city assembly in Belgrade. They demanded the annulment of the elections, accusing the ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party, of illegally transporting people by buses from other regions and abroad to vote in the capital.
"We do not want, and must not accept, the elections in Belgrade because they are outside the law: People from other countries have been used," said Marinika Tepic, a representative of the Serbia Against Violence coalition, in front of the Republican Electoral Commission (RIK) building.
Her colleague from the party, Miroslav Aleksic, later in the evening on December 17, called for the annulment of the voting results in the capital, stating that people were brought in to vote in Belgrade.
"Considering that more than 40,000 people without legal residence in Belgrade were brought in to support the SNS list, which drastically changed the electoral will of Belgraders, we demand the annulment of the elections in the city of Belgrade and the repetition of voting for the city assembly," the coalition declared.
Later, Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic announced the commencement of a hunger strike. They will end it when the elections in Belgrade are annulled.
Elections in Serbia
On November 1, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dissolved the parliament and called for new parliamentary and local elections on December 17, 2023. The previous general elections in Serbia took place in April 2022, and the next parliamentary elections were planned for 2026.
Vucic announced the victory of the ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party. However, the opposition considers the elections to be fraudulent.
Earlier, we reported that OSCE observers had stated interference by the authorities in the elections.
