site.btaProtests against Corruption in Serbia Continue Three Months after Fatal Incident in Novi Sad

A wave of protests has been shaking Serbia for more than three months now. Every day, the leaders of the country are trying to quell social tensions and to find a way out after the resignation of the Government but without resorting to snap parliamentary elections. In the meantime, students have been occupying universities across Serbia, accusing those in power of corruption, and demanding that the people responsible for the collapse of the concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station, which claimed 15 lives, be identified and punished.

A student who requested anonymity told BTA: "We are building a new Serbian society. Every day we are protesting, discussing, preparing campaigns, and yes, it is true, we are arguing whether it is appropriate to establish a political party, to designate our own leaders. For now, we have no agreement on these matters, but we will not leave the streets until we achieve change!"

Parts of the opposition in the country as well as European institutions suggested that the demands of the protesters in Serbia should be articulated through political formations. Croatian MEP Tonino Picula said recently that the protesters should decide how they intend to proceed and should articulate their demands in political terms. He added that the rallies and blockades have put the Balkan country in what is akin to a state of emergency.

From the start, students have been deciding on their actions at general assemblies and distancing themselves from all political parties. The ideas and symbols of the European Union are not part of their reasoning. One protester told BTA: "We have to deal with this situation with our own forces. Europe is only inciting the representatives of the current opposition to an unhealthy competition for power."

Some of the students and their professors launched the idea of representatives of the academic community and intellectuals forming a transitional government that would prepare the holding of fair and democratic elections, but the proposal was not met with full approval by the protesters.

Prime Minister Milos Vucevic submitted his resignation on January 28, however, the confirmation procedure is yet to reach Parliament, which is why he and his Cabinet are practically still in power. In the meantime, the question of whether the new democratic society that the Serbian protesters aspire to has a future still remains.