Eight police officers were injured and 38 people were detained during and after an opposition protest in Serbia over the results of recent elections, according to the country's police. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the center of Belgrade on Sunday to demand the annulment of parliamentary and local elections, which international observers deemed unfair. The protest turned violent as protesters broke windows and glass at the town hall's main entrance, prompting the police to use pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Two of the injured police officers sustained serious injuries.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, alleged that foreign-backed forces were attempting to incite unrest in Belgrade. Russia, a longstanding ally of Serbia, expressed confidence in the Serbian leadership to uphold the rule of law. Meanwhile, outgoing Prime Minister Ana Brnabic thanked the Russian secret service for providing information on planned activities by the opposition, acknowledging that her statement might not be well-received in the West. Serbia, an aspirant for EU membership, has resisted calls from Western countries to impose sanctions against Russia.
The opposition parties accused the police of using excessive force, with social media platforms sharing videos showing officers beating individuals in the streets near the town hall. The international monitoring mission last week reported that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) gained an unfair advantage through biased media coverage, the improper influence of President Aleksandar Vucic, and voting irregularities like vote-buying. In contrast, Serbian authorities deny any wrongdoing or irregularities in the electoral process.
In response to the election controversy, the opposition, led by the center-left alliance Serbia Against Violence, has vowed to continue its protests. On Monday, students plan to block traffic as a form of civil disobedience. The SNS emerged as the winner of the recent snap parliamentary election, securing 46.72% of the votes, according to preliminary results from the state election commission. Serbia Against Violence came in second with 23.56% of the vote, followed by the Socialist Party of Serbia with 6.56%. Despite the ongoing protests and tensions, Serbia remains resolute in its stance against interference and sanctions from Western nations, maintaining its close ties with Russia.