Serbien

Faced with mounting pressure from the authorities, Serbia's students have issued an "ultimatum" to the government to call snap elections and are urging citizens to continue the push for change.

Serbia is facing backlash from the Kremlin after it recently lashed out over Serbian-made weapons used by Ukrainian forces, but there is little sign that Belgrade is preparing to align itself with Brussels anytime soon. 

Opposition representatives on the Municipal Election Commission of Serbia’s western municipality of Kosjeric refused to adopt the results of Sunday’s local elections, citing irregularities, after the ruling party declared victory. … The votes were widely seen as a popularity test for Serbia’s ruling party and its leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.

Students who have been protesting for months in Serbia have added snap parliamentary elections to their demands, claiming that the current administration is too tainted by corruption to function properly.

Serbia has appointed a new government led by Duro Macut, a doctor and academic with no prior political experience, amid street protests that have rocked the Balkan nation. … Macut was handpicked by President Aleksandar Vucic, who has led the country since 2017. Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) controls 112 seats in parliament.

Thousands from towns in Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia arrived by buses on Saturday to attend a rally in Belgrade organised in support of President Aleksandar Vucic, whose grip on power has been threatened by months of anti-corruption protests. … The rally is seen as Vucic's response to the big anti-government rally on March 15, when more than 100,000 people attended the biggest protest in decades.

The protests took place on Monday in front of the country’s former army headquarters, which were destroyed in a US-led NATO bombing campaign in 1999 as part of the Kosovo war, and are now being leased by the Serbian authorities to Kushner’s Affinity Partners investment firm, so they can be transformed into a high-end compound.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Croatia and Albania of starting an “arms race” in the region by signing the concord with what he called the “provisional institutions” in Kosovo, meaning the country’s government. 

In one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Belgrade, student-led protesters inundated the capital’s streets and squares, accusing President Aleksandar Vucic’s government of fostering corruption and authoritarianism.

Serbian MPs from the ruling majority and opposition brawled on Tuesday inside the National Assembly chamber, where smoke bombs were also set off on the first of this year’s parliament sessions, which was held amid heightened tensions as mass protests continue to shake the country.