Serbia’s populist prime minister Milos Vucevic has resigned in a bid to defuse weeks of street protests against corruption and impunity sparked by the death of 15 people last November when part of a train station roof collapsed.
Student-led rallies resumed on Tuesday evening in several cities, however, and demonstrators called for a full investigation into the deadly collapse in the city of Novi Sad and for those responsible to face prosecution, maintaining pressure on autocratic Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic.
Mr Vucevic announced his resignation after news emerged that several protesters had been attacked on Monday night in Novi Sad, allegedly by supporters of the government who emerged from the local headquarters of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
“The party that I lead must show the highest degree of responsibility...Therefore, after this event in Novi Sad, my irrevocable decision is to resign as head of the government of Serbia,” Mr Vucevic said. “I had a long meeting with President Vucic, he accepted my decision and arguments. I think this shows the responsibility of those who were elected...so that this does not spill over on to the streets or cause further divisions in society.”
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Mr Vucevic, a former mayor of Novi Sad who became prime minister last May, said Serbian politicians should try to “calm tensions,” but also repeated an unsubstantiated claim made by Mr Vucic and his allies that anti-government protests in the country were being orchestrated by shadowy and hostile foreign forces. “Everyone should return to the discussion, to the search for a solution that is best for Serbia, and not for some foreign country or foreign interests,” Mr Vucevic said.
Thousands of students have rallied in Belgrade and other cities in recent weeks, and they blocked a major road junction in the capital on Monday, when teachers, farmers and many other people joined the demonstration in support.
The government has been forced into concessions to try to end the protests – which drew an estimated 100,000 people in Belgrade in late December – and the ministers for construction, trade, and transportation and infrastructure resigned before Mr Vucevic. Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric also stepped down on Tuesday.
Under pressure from demonstrators officials have also released documentation related to the reconstruction of Novi Sad station, which is part of a Chinese-led programme to upgrade Serbia’s rail infrastructure. More than a dozen people have been charged in connection with the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at the station.
Five students were attacked on Monday night outside an SNS office in Novi Sad, allegedly by supporters of the ruling party. “I expect that the perpetrators, the attackers, will be arrested...that they will be brought to justice,” Mr Vucevic said.
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