Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged restraint following recent confrontations in Belgrade and other areas between supporters of the ruling party and protesting students, according to local media reports. During a visit to the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, Vucic issued a public appeal for calm. He 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 retaliation, 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 are expected within two to six months and stated he would congratulate his opponents if they win on the same evening. He further asserted that current public opinion polls do not suggest the student movement rivals the popularity of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. The student protests, which have involved blockades at over 60 faculties across Serbia in 2024 and 2025, are centered on anti-government demands and anti-corruption measures.
These protests were intensified following a fatal incident on November 1, 2024, in Novi Sad, where the canopy of a renovated railway station collapsed, resulting in 16 deaths and one serious injury. The student activists have declared they will abstain from voting, opting instead to support a slate of public figures with no prior political involvement.
Topics: #calm #call #let
