Serbian Prime Minister resigns as anti-corruption protests continue to grow!
Serbia's populist Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on Tuesday that he is resigning after weeks of mass anti-corruption protests over the deadly collapse of a concrete tent in November.
The tent collapse, which killed 15 people in the northern city of Novi Sad, has become a flashpoint reflecting broader dissatisfaction with the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic. He has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms in Serbia, despite formally seeking European Union membership for the troubled Balkan nation.
Vucevic told a news conference that his resignation is aimed at reducing tensions in Serbia. "It is my appeal to everyone to calm their passions and return to dialogue," he said. Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric will also resign on Tuesday, Vucevic said.
Vucevic's resignation is likely to lead to early parliamentary elections. The resignation must be confirmed by Serbia's parliament, which has 30 days to elect a new government or call early elections.
On Monday, tens of thousands of people joined striking university students in a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the Serbian capital. The students have been protesting for weeks, demanding accountability for the collapse of a tent that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
In another attempt to ease tensions, Vučić, Vučević and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić on Monday evening called for dialogue with the students, who have gained widespread support from all walks of life in Serbia with their call for justice and accountability.
Vucevic said the immediate cause for his resignation was an attack on a female student in Novi Sad early Tuesday by suspected assailants from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Vucevic said that "every time there seems to be hope for a return to social dialogue, to talk ... it is as if an invisible hand creates a new incident and tensions rise again."
Serbian prosecutors have indicted 13 people, including a government minister and several state officials. But former Construction Minister Goran Vesic has been released from custody, raising doubts about the independence of the investigation.
The main railway station in Novi Sad has been renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese state-owned companies. Several incidents have marred street demonstrations in recent weeks, including drivers who crashed into crowds on two occasions, injuring two young women.
Students and others have been holding daily 15-minute traffic blockades across Serbia at 11:52 a.m., exactly the same time the concrete tent collapsed on November 1. The blockade honors the 15 victims, including two children.
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