Belgrade (Serbia), 28 June (LaPresse/AP) – Belgrade is preparing for another student-led protest to pressure President Aleksandar Vucic to call early parliamentary elections after nearly eight months of demonstrations that have shaken his firm grip on power in the Balkan country. Tension has skyrocketed ahead of the protest organised by Serbian university students, a key force behind the anti-corruption demonstrations that have swept the country since the collapse of a renovated railway station canopy on 1 November, killing 16 people. Many have blamed the collapse of the concrete roof on rampant government corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects, which have led to repeated mass protests. Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have rejected calls for early elections and accused protesters of wanting to stir up violence on the orders of foreign powers, without specifying which ones. Serbian presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2027. Earlier this week, police arrested several people accused of plotting to overthrow the government and banned several people from Croatia and a theatre director from Montenegro from entering the country without providing any explanation. The Serbian railway company suspended train services due to an alleged bomb threat, in what critics said was a clear attempt to prevent people from travelling to Belgrade for the demonstration. The authorities had already taken similar measures in March ahead of what was the largest anti-government protest ever seen in the Balkan country, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people. Vucic, a former nationalist, has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power over ten years ago. Although he formally declares that he wants Serbia to join the European Union, critics say Vucic has stifled democratic freedoms by strengthening ties with Russia and China.
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