Violence during elections in Serbia: Vučić exonerates hooligans and blames the opposition

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has directly blamed the opposition for the violent incidents that overshadowed Sunday’s local elections in the three municipalities of Mionica, Sečanj, and Negotin. As reported by Geopost, Sunday’s local elections in Serbia were marred by massive clashes, with bottles, chairs, and posters flying. Vučić said Serbia had now entered an “election year,” hinting at the possibility that presidential elections could be held alongside parliamentary elections. Although no arrests were reported in connection with Sunday’s violence in Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić instead focused on blaming the opposition for the previous day’s unrest.

“They bring in thugs and veterans who beat people up in cafés… What else do they do? Nothing! And then they emerge as moral victors,” Vučić said, claiming that opposition groups were responsible for the incidents. Videos were also released showing people from the café throwing glass bottles, boards, and chairs at a group of citizens on the street.

The serious incident took place not far from polling station No. 30. Citizens and, according to reports, members of Aleksandar Vučić’s party were involved.

Nevertheless, Vučić blamed the opposition exclusively. He even claimed that opposition representatives had “targeted members of his party, the SNS, with weapons” at a polling station because they “could not accept the result,” reports The Geopost.

Political and current affairs experts reacted to these developments in Serbia.

“The elections in Mionica, Sečanj, and Negotin have shown that the current government has no intention of pursuing democratic reforms,” said Boško Jakšić, adding that the country was entering a “dangerous phase” in which an entire segment of the population was prepared to do anything to retain power.

“Someone deliberately gave bandits and criminals free rein,” said Nedeljkov, describing election day as a confrontation between defenseless citizens and a fusion of state power and criminal structures.

The election monitoring organization CRTA also concluded that “someone gave bandits and criminals free rein.”

We recall that Sunday’s tensions followed the culmination of signs of a turbulent political phase in Serbia. The power struggle is likely to intensify with the upcoming new elections, and a peaceful transfer of power from incumbent President Aleksandar Vučić appears unlikely. /The Geopost/