Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged calm following recent clashes in Belgrade and other areas between activists affiliated with the ruling party and protesting students, according to local media reports. Speaking during a visit to the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, Vucic appealed for restraint, stating, “I call on everyone to calm down. Let everyone present their programmes, let them express their positions, let them go to the podiums, but not call for killing, not call for violence.” He also questioned the appropriateness of retaliation, asking, “I also ask my people, if you are attacked, should you also hit back?”
During the address, Vucic mentioned that early parliamentary elections in Serbia are anticipated within the next two to six months.
He added that should his political opponents achieve victory, he would offer his congratulations that same evening. Furthermore, Vucic stated that public opinion polls did not indicate that the student movement was close in popularity to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. The protesting students, who have organized blockades at over 60 faculties in Serbia across 2024 and 2025, are leading anti-government demonstrations.
Their demands center on anti-corruption measures and the scheduling of early parliamentary elections. These protests were notably spurred by a fatal incident in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, when the canopy of a renovated railway station collapsed, resulting in 16 deaths and one serious injury. The student protestors have declared they will abstain from voting, instead advocating for a candidate slate composed of public figures with no prior political involvement in the country.
Topics: #calm #call #let
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has appealed for calm following recent clashes in Belgrade and other locations between students who were protesting and activists affiliated with the ruling party, a