site.btaSerbian President Demands Opposition MPs Responsible for Smoke Bombs Incident to Be Held Criminally Responsible

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic Wednesday demanded opposition MPs who brought smoke bombs into the plenary hall of the National Assembly on Tuesday to be held criminally responsible, as their actions injured three female MPs and sent them to hospital.

"We are waiting to see what the prosecution service will say, but we will not rest until those responsible are brought to justice," Vucic told Pink television.

He added the condition of two of the MPs, one of whom is eight months pregnant, was good. The condition of the third is stable after she suffered a stroke.

In the interview, the Serbian President thanked the MPs from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, the ministers present and National Assembly President Ana Brnabic for their "honourable and courageous behaviour during the session".

Vucic argued that the opposition representatives are showing nervousness and radicalizing the protests because "there is a drop in public support" but the people do not want violence.

The Serbian President also said that such an incident had not happened since the beginning of the establishment of multi-party democracy in the country.

On Wednesday, during the first sitting of National Assembly's spring session, the resignation of the government was expected to be announced, but the smoke bomb incident delayed this.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on January 28 under pressure from protests in memory of the 15 victims in Novi Sad who died on November 1 after a concrete canopy of a railway station collapsed. The reason for Vucevic's withdrawal was that protesting students were attacked with baseball bats on the night of January 27-28 following their action in front of the office of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party in Novi Sad. One of the students was seriously injured and underwent emergency surgery.