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- Rally in response to the rally: a large-scale rally in support of the authorities was held in Serbia
Rally in response to the rally: a large-scale rally in support of the authorities was held in Serbia
A loud rally in support of the government was held in the Serbian capital. Speaking at the meeting, President Alexander Vucic announced the launch of a nationwide movement called "For the People and the State." This is a response to the opposition protests that lasted almost six months. The authorities hope that such a show of force will cool the ardor of the discontented. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Rallies in Serbia: what is known
"The color Revolution is over. They can walk as much as they want, but nothing will come of it," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told crowds of his supporters in front of the parliament building at a rally in Belgrade organized in support of the authorities.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
The demonstration, organized under the slogan "We will not give up Serbia," began on Friday and lasted until Sunday. At the rally, everyone was invited to join the new movement of President Alexander Vucic "For the People and the State" or write him a letter.
The rally was a response to the anti-government protests that have been raging in the country since November last year. They broke out due to the tragic incident at the train station in Serbia's second largest city, Novi Sad, when 15 people, including children, died as a result of the collapse of a concrete canopy. The protesters demand that the perpetrators be brought to justice, accusing the authorities of widespread corruption and negligence in the country. However, certain political demands are also being made. According to various sources, the rallies gathered from 100,000 to 300,000 people.
On Saturday, a 200-meter Serbian flag was unfurled near the parliament and solemnly carried through the streets of the city. The president himself was walking in front of the column. The authorities promised that it would be "the largest rally in the history of Belgrade."
Thousands of people from various Serbian cities, as well as Montenegro and Republika Srpska attended the pro-government demonstration.
Supporters of the president and the ruling party intended to show that they have more supporters than the opposition. Initially, 300 thousand participants were planned. Vucic said that 145 thousand people gathered, while some observers counted a maximum of 55 thousand.
The opposition is not going to stop
The head of state demanded that the authorities "restore order," and also said that it was necessary to find the "instigators of unrest" and prevent them from "paralyzing the life of the country."
He was supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who addressed the protesters. "Serbian patriots can count on Hungarian patriots," he said.
Acting Prime Minister Milos Vucevic also spoke at the rally, stressing that "if not for the wisdom of President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia would not have withstood the onslaught of the color revolution." "President Vucic united us, he united us, and it was only through his wisdom that Serbia survived," Vucevic said.
The leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, pointed out that this is the speech of Serbia, "which wants to develop" and "which wants to protect its national and state interests."
The opposition said that "the rally only showed the collapse of the ruling party," and the students have already announced new actions — the next one is scheduled for April 16.
What do the experts think
Milan Lazovich, program manager of the Russian International Affairs Council, told Izvestia that the action in Belgrade was intended to bring down the degree of tension and confrontation.
— This task was partially completed. The government has shown that it is in control of the situation and that it has supporters. At the same time, the opposition and the students obviously intend to continue their struggle," the political scientist believes.
According to the expert, the current pause in the protests is more like a lull.
— The rallies are likely to resume. But an important symbolic retaliatory step has been taken by the authorities. In the future, the situation may change depending on the actions of the president and the government," the expert is sure.
Founder and editor-in-chief of the Balkanist project.<url>" Oleg Bondarenko, in a conversation with Izvestia, drew special attention to the initiative of the Serbian authorities to launch a national movement called "For the People and the State." The expert believes that an attempt is underway to create a nationwide front.
— The movement "For the People and the State" is an effort to shift the center of power from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, which probably does not enjoy such a high level of popular support as before, to another political structure. At the very least, this will be a new stage in the development of the Serbian elites and, perhaps, will be able to extend the power of Alexander Vucic. But in a conceptual sense, of course, this will not solve the problems raised by the protest movement, and it is unlikely that it will be able to calm the situation globally," the analyst believes.
According to Oleg Bondarenko, it is difficult to judge the success of Vucic's chosen strategy now, but it is impossible not to note a certain flexibility of his approach.
— It is worth praising the President of Serbia, as if he heard the criticism and tried to gather representatives of the Serbian intelligentsia into this new movement, which he had previously missed so much. First of all, from among the professors. In conditions when representatives of the education sector are protesting first of all, this is very important and valuable," the political scientist emphasized.
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