At least three parliamentarians were injured on Tuesday (4), one seriously, after chaotic scenes in the Serbia Parliament where smoke bombs and flags were released, further increasing political tensions in the European country.
Parliamentarians should vote on a law to increase the financing of university education, but opposition parties claimed that the majority governor also planned to approve dozens of other decisions. According to the opposition, this would be illegal, and legislators should first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.
The chaos began about an hour after the start of the parliamentary session, when members of the opposition began to whistle and hold a poster with the sentence: “Serbia got up so that the regime falls!” Hundreds of opposition supporters protested outside the parliament building during the session.
Plenary video images showed clashes between parliamentarians and the launch of flags and smoke bombs. Serbia media reported that eggs and water bottles were also thrown.
Authorities reported that three people were injured, including parliamentarian Jasmine Oboravic, who was taken to the hospital.
Parliament President Ana BRnabic accused the opposition of acting as a “terrorist gang.” Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic described those responsible for the incident as “a shame for Serbia.” “The vandalism of opposition parliamentarians exposed the nature of their personalities and the essence of their political agenda,” said Gasic.
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Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic visited Oboravic at the hospital. “Jasmine will win, Serbia will win,” Vucic wrote in an Instagram post, showing him holding the parliamentarian’s hand in an emergency room.
Students’ Demands in Protest
The incident reflects a profound political crisis in Serbia, where anti -corruption protests have been shaking the populist government for months. Vucevic resigned in January, while the government faced demonstrations after the collapse in November of the concrete coverage of a train station in northern Serbia, which killed 15 people. Critics attribute the tragedy to unbridled corruption. Parliament must confirm the prime minister’s resignation to have an effect.
The increase in education funding has been one of the main claims of Serbian students, who are the driving force of the daily protests that began after the collapse of the structure on November 1st, in the city of Novi Sad.
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Requested by a transitional government
Opposition parties insist that the government has no authority to pass new laws. The left -wing parliamentarian Radomir Lazovic said the opposition was willing to support the approval of the student’s requested education financing bill, but not other decisions included in the assembly agenda.
Lazovic said: “We can only discuss the fall of the government.” According to him, the only way out to the current crisis would be the formation of a transitional government that would establish conditions for free and fair elections – a requirement that populist governors reject repeatedly.
Vucic and his right -wing party, the Serbian Progressive Party, have consolidated firm control over power in recent decades although officially seeking adherence to the European Union.
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Many Serbs believe that the collapse of the coverage of the train station was caused by evil work and neglect of safety standards due to government corruption.
