Current:Home > NewsSignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Serbia police detain at least 38 people as opposition plans more protests against election results -Streamline Finance
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Serbia police detain at least 38 people as opposition plans more protests against election results
Poinbank View
Date:2025-04-08 11:45:30
BELGRADE,SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center Serbia (AP) — Serbian police said Monday they have detained at least 38 people who took part in a protest against reported widespread irregularities during a recent general ballot that declared the governing populists as winners of the parliamentary and local councils’ elections.
Opposition group Serbia Against Violence has been staging protests since the Dec. 17 elections, saying there has been election fraud, particularly in the capital, Belgrade. Some politicians began a hunger strike.
On Sunday evening, hundreds of protesters tried to enter Belgrade’s city council, breaking windows, before riot police pushed them back using tear gas, pepper spray and batons.
Senior police official Ivica Ivkovic told reporters that those detained were facing charges of inciting violent change of constitutional order — in reference to attempting to overthrow the government — and violent behavior. He added that eight officers were injured, several of them seriously.
The opposition said that police beat up some of its supporters.
With more protests planned for later on Monday, police warned they wouldn’t allow roads or bridges to be blocked in the capital.
Police “are ready and capable of countering any acts of violence with determination,” Ivkovic said.
The country’sSerbian Progressive Party has denied rigging the vote and described the elections as fair despite criticism from international monitors and local election observers.
President Aleksandar Vučić described Sunday’s protests as an attempt to overthrow the government with help from abroad, without specifying what he meant. Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabić thanked Russia late Sunday for tipping off Serbia in advance of violent protests against the election results.
Vučić has “irrefutable evidence” that the West is encouraging the opposition protests, Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko told Russian media after meeting with Vučić on Monday.
Serbia is formally seeking membership in the European Union, but the Balkan nation has maintained close ties with Moscow and has refused to join Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Vučić’s party claimed victory in both the parliamentary and Belgrade city ballots elections. Serbia Against Violence, the governing party’s main contender, said that it was robbed of a win, especially in Belgrade.
Representatives of several international rights watchdogs observing the elections reported multiple irregularities during the vote, including cases of bought votes and ballot-box stuffing. They also noted unjust conditions for opposition candidates because of media bias, abuse of public resources by the ruling party, and Vučić dominating the ruling party’s campaign and media time allocated for candidates despite not taking part in the elections himself.
Serbia Against Violence said Thursday in a letter sent to EU institutions, officials and member nations that it wouldn’t recognize the elections’ outcome. The alliance called on the EU to do the same and to initiate an investigation into the results.
___
Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this story.
veryGood! (8214)
Related
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Get a $20 Deal on $98 Worth of Skincare From Peter Thomas Roth, Sunday Riley, Benefit, Elemis, and More
- Obamas' family chef found dead in pond on Martha's Vineyard: Police
- Ariana Grande Shared How Wicked Filming Healed Her Ahead of Ethan Slater Romance
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- The 16 Best Beauty Launches From July 2023: Rare Beauty, Rhode, Kylie Cosmetics, Olaplex, Tower 28 & More
- The Melting Glaciers of Svalbard Offer an Ominous Glimpse of More Warming to Come
- Tom Brady and Irina Shayk Spark Romance Rumors With Intimate L.A. Outing
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Wife of SpongeBob's Voice Actor Clarifies He's Not Dating Ariana Grande, Being Mistaken for Ethan Slater
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Gilgo Beach murders: Police searching suspect's walk-in vault
- Texas Pipeline Operators Released or Flared Tons of Gas to Avert Explosions During Heatwave
- It Don't Cost a Thing to Check Out Jennifer Lopez's Super Bowl Wax Figure
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Parker McCollum Defends Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean Amid Recent Controversies
- Secretive State Climate Talks Stir Discontent With Pennsylvania Governor
- Former Columbia University OB-GYN to be sentenced for sexual abuse conviction
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Doja Cat Argues With Fans After Dissing Their Kittenz Fandom Name
Barack and Michelle Obama's Chef Dies While Paddleboarding Near Their Martha's Vineyard Home
These $24 Pants Have the Sophistication of Trousers and Comfort of Sweatpants
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
YouTuber Annabelle Ham’s Cause of Death Revealed
Are Legally Acceptable Levels of Pollution Harming Children’s Brain Development?
Miranda Lambert Responds to Fan's Shoot Tequila, Not Selfies T-Shirt at Concert