Serbian students block roads to protest Vucic party victory

Hundreds of protesters — mostly students — gathered to block a major intersection in the Serbian capital ahead of a partial vote rerun on Saturday.

The action was the first day-long protest since parliamentary and local elections on December 17, which President Aleksandar Vucic's party claimed it had easily secured. 

What is the opposition claiming?

Opposition parties, such as the coalition Serbia Against Violence, allege that ethnic-Serbian voters from neighboring Bosnia had been allowed to vote illegally in Belgrade.

They say the supporters of incumbent populist President Aleksandar Vucic took part in local elections by registering at bogus addresses in the capital, despite not living there.

The presidential party's success in Belgrade was slim compared with rivals. Vucic denies the allegations of vote rigging.

Several Western nations voiced concern over the electoral process and international observer groups reported election irregularities.

The students, under the umbrella of the Borba (Fight) movement, have called for the election results to be annulled and new votes held.

Some protesters sat at the intersection close to government buildings.

"We will not allow you [Vucic] this," said one of the banners on display.

"Euromaidan Serbia," read another, referring to the pro-European Union protest wave in Ukraine in 2014.

Several hundred other protesters, who had earlier assembled outside the state electoral commission, joined the students on Friday evening.

Elections were set to be rerun on Saturday at some 30 polling stations.

Denial of irregularities 

Vucic has denied the allegations and accused the opposition of inciting violence to topple the government at the behest of foreign interests.

Official results show that his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won roughly 46% of votes in the parliamentary elections, while the leading opposition coalition secured 23.5%.

While Serbia is formally seeking membership in the European Union, the country has maintained close ties with Russia. It has refused to join Western sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow'sfull-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have extended their full support to Vucic in a crackdown against the protesters, asserting that the vote was free and fair.

rc/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)