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Serbian Students Call for General Strike Against Corruption

Serbian Students, along with devolved governments and opposition parties, are currently on strike demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević
Prime Minister Miloš Vučević - Image: Serbian Armed Forces
Prime Minister Miloš Vučević - Image: Serbian Armed Forces

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What happened?

Early on 1 November 2024, 15 people were killed in an accident at a train station in the northern Serbian city Novi Sad. The recently renovated roof of the train station collapsed that morning, inciting protests across Serbia that blame the Government and its corruption for the tragedy.

Renovation work on the station began in 2021, as part of a Chinese-led programme to upgrade Serbia’s railways. The Novi Sad station is part of the 1,032-kilometer proposed railway link between Budapest and Athens, built with the help of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Protests

Nation-wide protests began soon after the tragedy, with hundreds of thousands of students striking and many Universities and high schools closing. The protests only amplified after a woman was severely injured at a protest on 16 January. The 20-year-old student was attending one of the rallies in Belgrade when a car plowed through the crowd, hitting her, then speeding away. The driver was later found by police and is now under arrest for attempted murder. On 27 January, farmers joined the protests and blocked a major traffic intersection in Belgrade with the help of tractors.

The Construction Minister, Goran Vesić, handed in his resignation in November, with 13 people  being charged over the disaster, including him. “Goran Vesić is one of the people most responsible for massive corruption in construction, for the policy of secret contracts with investors, and this is now leaving behind human victims,” said Radomir Lazović, co-chief of the opposition party Green-Left Front, after the accident.

The strike

Students have now called for a general strike starting on 24 January. Sources cite over 5,000 academic staff have joined the student-led initiative, with many small businesses, stores, restaurants, cultural centers, and even cinemas closing for the day. As the Serbian Nova news reported, “several media outlets, cultural institutions, state service unions, and city governments have joined the call, as have some categories, including doctors, lawyers, and farmers. Some opposition parties also announced protests and blockades”.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of the prime minister, Miloš Vučević, and the mayor of Novi Sad. In addition, they are asking that the cases against protesters who were arrested during anti-government demonstrations in November be dropped, as well as for the publication of the documents relating to the Novi Sad renovation, and for criminal charges to be raised against people responsible for violence against protesters.

President Vučić has accused the protesters of being ‘foreign agents’ and some activists have reported being questioned by Serbia’s national security and intelligence agency in relation to the protests.  

Corruption

According to a Corruption Assessment Report on Serbia from 2023, “the results suggest that corruption in Serbia is widely perceived as a significant issue that extends beyond institutional levels to impact different structures of society. According to 42.2% of citizens, corruption will always exist in Serbia, but it can be limited to a degree”. However, “more than 50% of citizens believe that corruption will always exist in Serbia”.

The government

The current leading party, the Serbian Progressive Party, has been in power since 2012. These have been the largest manifestations since they took control of the country. They have faced numerous scandals, including allegations of election fraud in 2023, links to organised crime, and several incidents like the 2016 demolition incident and the Novi Sad tragedy. 

In June 2023, The New York Times Magazine published an article alleging president Aleksandar Vučić’s ties to a criminal gang and their supposed Russian connections. The leader of the gang, Veljko Belivuk, alleged that they had performed many tasks for the government, including intimidating political opponents, and that he had personally met the president.

Serbia’s last elections took place in December 2023. These elections were contested by the opposition as fraud and caused national turmoil. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ report on the early parliamentary elections cites several issues that could have been improved, “including those related to ensuring a level playing field, measures to prevent misuse of public office and state resources, separation between the official functions and campaign activities, and effective mechanisms to prevent intimidation and pressure on voters, including vote buying”. In Belgrade, pro-Russian Aleksandar Šapić won the mayoral election, prompting weeks-long protests and local re-elections.

All things considered, Serbs still support their president. Different sources claim this is due to economic changes like increased wages and lowered unemployment rates. The article cites that “Many Serbs are aware that Vučić controls the media and intimidates the opposition, sometimes by broadcasting their private sex tapes on daytime TV. But many also overlook these flaws, either because they think he is delivering for the majority, or because they view the alternative as even worse”.

In light of the protests, the President has suggested an “advisory referendum” on his presidency, however the opposition rejected this idea, pushing for the establishment of a transitional government and new elections.

The EU and the future of Serbia

Serbia applied for EU membership in 2012, though several issues have stalled the process of adherence. The main issue is Serbia’s refusal to accept Kosovo’s independence and the country’s close ties to Russia. “Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia violates the United Nations statute and international law on which the European Union is founded, and aligning with Russia is not compatible with the principles of the EU and contrary to what EU membership requires,” says spokesman for the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. 

The current situation is driving a further rift between Brussels and Belgrade, with the European Commission spokesman for Enlargement, Guillaume Mercier, stating on Friday that “freedom of assembly is a fundamental right of the EU, which must be protected and exercised peacefully and with full respect for the rule of law and public order”.

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