The cleaners had scrubbed the debating chamber clean before MPs arrived for Wednesday’s session in Serbia’s National Assembly.
Spent smoke bombs, smears of egg yolk and a dusting of white fire extinguisher powder had all been removed from the benches and tables after the mayhem of the previous day.
The police had also been on the scene.
They were gathering evidence for potential criminal charges against the MPs who had plunged the parliament into a fug of pink and black smoke as they unfurled banners accusing the government of corruption.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic labelled the scenes “hooliganism”. He said he was “looking for responsibility, criminal law” to be applied.
Three female MPs were hurt. One of them was hit on the back of the head by an object, although it was unclear who threw it, and another apparently suffered a stroke.
The EU said a parliament should be a place for democratic debate and that it was very concerned.
Opposition party MPs were unabashed.
The co-leader of the Green-Left Front, Radomir Lazovic, had let off a fire extinguisher from his seat in the chamber.
He described the intervention as “a response to the violence that has been perpetrated against the citizens of Serbia for 13 years”.
That covers the period that the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has been in power.
Under the leadership of Vucic – who previously served as deputy prime minister and prime minister – the party has been an election-winning machine.
The SNS has emerged victorious from no fewer than five parliamentary elections since it first formed a governing coalition in 2012.
Its opponents claim that has more to do with the party’s domination of Serbia’s media outlets and state institutions than its policies.
But Vucic has successfully projected an image of strong, effective leadership that appeals to a large proportion of Serbia’s electorate – particularly outside the main urban areas.
He has weathered plenty of protest movements over the years. All of them have fizzled out without dislodging the president or his party.
But the current series of rallies, demonstrations and blockades is presenting an unusually tricky challenge.
The outpouring of outrage started with November’s disaster at Novi Sad railway station – when a concrete canopy collapsed at the recently-renovated facility, killing 15 people.
The station was part of the government’s flagship infrastructure project – the high-speed railway linking the capital, Belgrade, to Budapest in Hungary. The fatal failure at such a high-profile site caused anguish and anger – and stoked suspicions that official corruption was behind the collapse.
Students have been leading the calls for transparency and accountability, holding daily 15-minute vigils for the dead. But workers, ranging from lawyers to farmers, have also been staging strikes and blocking roads.
“Everyone has a reason to be unhappy,” says analyst and journalist Bojan Elek. “Terrible salaries, poor working conditions – everyone had something to add to the huge dissatisfaction that’s in the population.
“But the students have been the key cohesive factor.”
What the students have not been is political. They have kept opposition parties and NGOs away from their increasingly elaborate events, which have seen them take over the city centres of Novi Sad and Nis in recent weeks.
Mr Elek describes this as “a good move” – but notes that “at some point, politics will have to come into play”.
What that might look like is not yet clear. Opposition parties are atomised – with no one single party capable of challenging the SNS, and an absence of a credible coalition.
They have at least been united in their calls for the establishment of a technical government following the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic at the end of January.
This could, they suggest, establish an electoral environment that would reduce the SNS’s domination of the media and state bodies.
Vucic has rejected that idea as an opposition attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected government. He may appoint a replacement prime minister or call fresh elections, even though the previous polls were held as recently as December 2023.
Meanwhile, the protests continue. Students are promising their largest event yet in Belgrade on 15 March.
Article by:Source:
