"We will not allow these people from home and abroad to destroy our country", declared Serbian President Vucic and threatened that the country "will restore order". Nevertheless, the protests continue. Report from Novi Sad.
Over the weekend, Belgrade became the backdrop for a huge political spectacle staged by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party - with a sea of Serbian flags, burger stands, patriotic songs and slogans for "preserving the state".
President Aleksandar Vucic declared the end of the "color revolution" and appealed for support for the newly founded "Movement for the People and the State". "We will not allow these people from home and abroad to destroy our state. And let me tell them: your color revolution is over. You can go around as much as you want, nothing will come of it", the head of state said. According to estimates, at least 55,000 citizens took part in the pro-government demonstrations in Belgrade.
How reality is distorted
In his speech on Saturday night, Aleksandar Vučić raised five main demands in order to "restore order". For this purpose, the competent services and institutions, and especially the prosecutor's office, were called upon, within the framework of their constitutional and legal powers, to take all measures prescribed by law to restore peace and order in the country.
Journalist Nedim Sejdinović from the weekly magazine “Vreme“ assesses this as a call for state violence and a tough approach against the demonstrators. He says: “Vučić's demands completely distort reality: those who propagate and apply violence present themselves as victims, while those who are actually the victims are presented as perpetrators. But this is nothing new in this radical rhetoric“.
Where is the separation of powers?
A similar opinion is held by lawyer Vesna Rakić Vodinelić. She told DW that the demand to strengthen the shaky state institutions comes precisely from the person who brought them to this state. “Vucic does not recognize the separation of powers and interferes with the powers of other state institutions, especially in the judiciary. He has no constitutional basis to make demands on them.“
According to Vodinelic, the big question is how the prosecutor's office will react to Vucic's demands, as well as the police, whose authority it is to ban public gatherings. “Vucic's demand for normalization of everyday life may refer to the blockades organized daily by students and citizens. The question is whether anyone will try to end these blockades.“
Consolidation and repression
While the regime is trying to strengthen its own ranks, it is also increasing the pressure on students and demonstrators who have been on the streets for almost half a year. Almost daily there are news reports of physical attacks, arrests, complaints against demonstrators and critical citizens. Six students and activists from Novi Sad have been in prison for a month now. Others have never returned from their trips abroad, as they have meanwhile been charged with preparing “attacks against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Serbia“.
Sejdinović thinks that all this is part of the “counter-revolution” announced by the president. “The aim is clearly to intimidate and silence citizens, as it is believed that the energy of the protests has somewhat subsided and now it is time for a counter-offensive. I am convinced that the approach of the Vučić-led government is completely counterproductive, as it only reveals the repressive nature of the regime even more.“
Vučić's approval rating is falling
However, the resistance of the people and students is not decreasing - thousands of people continue to demonstrate against the government. “Serbian society is at a crossroads - either we will go in the direction of Turkish President Erdogan, which would mean even stronger repression, arrest of critics of the regime and flight from the country for fear of repression, or the protests will continue to exert pressure and lead to the only good or logical outcome, namely a change of government,“ says Sejdinović.
Fighting for such a solution, a group of students has been cycling to Strasbourg for several days to deliver a letter to MEPs about the legal situation in Serbia. The authorities, in turn, are preparing a new government led by a little-known doctor, Djuro Mazut, who has almost no political experience. Some analysts see this step as an indirect concession to the public, which has long demanded a new government. Others believe that this is a political maneuver by Aleksandar Vučić, who wants to avoid early elections at all costs due to the declining trust in him.
Mutual waiting
“In my opinion, Vučić knows that if he starts stronger repressions, he will not be able to rely on the police or the judiciary without limits, since it is clear that even in these institutions there are people who will refuse to carry out his orders and break the law“, points out journalist Sejdinović.
For now, however, there is no way out of the situation at all. Both the government and the opposition public seem to be waiting for the opposing side to make the first mistake.