Thousands of Serbs protest in Belgrade against alleged election fraud
The protest march, called for by a group of intellectuals, artists and other celebrities, was once again attended by a large number of students. The crowd especially cheered opposition leader Marinika Tepic, who had gone on hunger strike on December 18 and needed help to get to the podium.
"The only thing I can tell you is that everything has already been said," Tepic shouted. "These elections must be canceled!" She then had herself taken to hospital and announced the end of her hunger strike.
According to official figures, President Aleksandar Vucic's right-wing ruling party had clearly won the parliamentary and local elections on December 17. However, international election observers reported numerous irregularities in the ballot.
According to the largest opposition alliance Serbia Against Violence, tens of thousands of residents of the neighboring Bosnian-Serbian republic Republika Srpska were brought in on buses to cast their votes illegally in Belgrade. On Saturday, voting was repeated in 30 polling stations.
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The allegations of election fraud fueled the protests, with thousands of Serbs voicing their discontent versus the reported results in Belgrade. The alleged manipulations in voting, as claimed by international election observers, have led to widespread distrust in the President Aleksandar Vucic's right-wing ruling party's victory. Despite the official claim of a clear win for President Vucic's party in the December 17 elections, Serbia Against Violence accused tens of thousands of residents from Bosnia and Herzegovina's Republika Srpska of being brought in illegally to cast their votes in Belgrade, further adding to the controversy.
Source: www.stern.de
