Belgrade’s Protest Wave Unmasks Serbia’s Authoritarian Grip and Corruption Crisis

Belgrade stands on edge yet again as student-led protests prepare to reignite demands for early parliamentary elections, challenging the authoritarian grip of Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic. For nearly eight months, these demonstrations – sparked by the tragic collapse of a railway station canopy that killed 16 – have unearthed a staggering tale of government negligence and systemic corruption. While Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party cling to power, dismissing protesters as pawns of foreign interference without evidence, the reality on the ground tells a different story: a ruling regime intent on suppressing dissent rather than addressing public safety failures...