Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged calm following recent isolated 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 questioned whether citizens should retaliate if attacked.
During the address, Vucic announced that early parliamentary elections in Serbia are anticipated within two to six months. He added that if his political opponents secure victory, he would offer his congratulations that same evening. Regarding the protests, Vucic stated that public opinion polls did not indicate that the student list was close in popularity to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
The students, who have organized blockades at over 60 faculties across Serbia in 2024 and 2025, have been leading anti-government demonstrations. Their demands include anti-corruption measures and early parliamentary elections, a sentiment intensified by a fatal incident in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, when a concrete canopy at a recently renovated railway station collapsed, resulting in 16 deaths and one serious injury. The protesting students have indicated they will not participate in the election, opting instead to support a candidate list composed of public figures with no prior involvement in Serbian politics.
Topics: #calm #call #let
Local media reports indicate that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called for calm following recent, isolated clashes in Belgrade and other areas between ruling party activists and protesting studen