Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged calm following recent sporadic clashes in Belgrade and other areas between ruling party activists and protesting students, according to local media reports. Speaking during a visit to the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, Vucic stated, “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 retaliatory violence, asking, “I also ask my people, if you are attacked, should you also hit back?”
Addressing the political climate, Vucic announced that early parliamentary elections in Serbia are anticipated within the next two to six months.
He added that he would personally congratulate his opponents on the same evening, regardless of the outcome. Regarding public support, Vucic stated that he was not aware of any polls indicating that the student movement was close in popularity to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. The student protesters, who have organized blockades at over 60 faculties across Serbia in 2024 and 2025, have been leading anti-government demonstrations demanding anti-corruption measures and early elections.
These protests gained momentum following a fatal incident in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, when a concrete canopy at a renovated railway station collapsed, resulting in 16 deaths and one serious injury. The protesting students have indicated they do not plan to participate in the upcoming vote, instead supporting a slate of public figures with no prior involvement in national politics.
Topics: #calm #call #let
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged calm following recent sporadic clashes in Belgrade and other areas involving ruling party activists and protesting students, according to local media repor
What steps might the government take to de-escalate tensions between the two groups?