Serbian Protests: Vucic Under Fire

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic faces accusations and protests over alleged foreign plots to unseat him, mirroring Assad's downfall. Public discontent stems from corruption and infrastructural failures like the Novi Sad rail station collapse. Vucic decries external influence threatening Serbia's autonomy and EU aspirations.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that foreign intelligence agencies are attempting to overthrow him amid escalating protests across the Balkan nation. Vucic firmly declared he would not flee Serbia, unlike ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

In a video shared on Instagram, Vucic vowed to fight for Serbia and serve its citizens, dismissing any intentions to align with foreign entities looking to destabilize the nation. Protesters have likened Vucic to Assad, suggesting he may resort to fleeing if he loses control amid public discontent following the deadly collapse of Novi Sad's rail station, which resulted in 15 fatalities.

The tragedy has heightened dissatisfaction with Vucic's autocratic tendencies, with critics attributing the incident to rampant corruption. Vucic has alleged that these protests are funded by the West to undermine his governance. Concurrently, Serbian lawmakers debate a contentious 'foreign agents' bill, echoing Russia's restrictive measures, potentially jeopardizing Serbia’s EU membership aspirations.

(With inputs from agencies.)