At least three MPs were injured, one of whom was serious, during which time smoke bombs and flares were thrown, further exacerbating political tensions in the Balkan countries.
Members were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for college education, but opposition parties said the majority of the ruling also planned to approve dozens of other decisions. They say it is illegal and lawmakers should first confirm the resignation of Milos Vucevic and his government.
About an hour after the parliamentary meeting began, chaos erupted, with opposition MPs whistling and holding banners reading “Serbia rises, bringing regime down!” During the meeting, hundreds of opposition supporters gathered outside the parliamentary building.
RTS Serbia via AP
Video from the conference hall showed a clash between lawmakers and flares and smoke bombs. Serbian media said eggs and water bottles were also thrown.
Officials later said the three were injured in the riots, including Jasmina Obradovic, a MP who was taken to the hospital. Parliament President Ana Brnabic alleges opposition as a “terrorist gang”.
Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic described the person behind the incident as “a shame for Serbia.”
“The intentional destruction of opposition MPs has exposed the nature of their personality and the nature of their political agenda,” Gas said.
Serbian populist president Aleksandar Vucic visited Obradovic in the hospital.
“Jasmine will win, Serbia will win,” Vucic said in an Instagram post.
Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
The incident reflects A serious political crisis in Serbia Months of anti-corruption protests shocked a populist government.
Vucevic resigned in January, government faces protests The November crash of concrete railway station The canopy in northern Serbia killed 15 people, and critics blamed rampant corruption. Parliament must confirm the Prime Minister’s resignation for effect.
One of the needs of Serbian protesters is that it is the main driving force for almost daily street protests, a key driving force that began after the collapse of novi Sad on November 1.
The opposition insists that the government has no right to pass the new law. Left MP Radomir Lazovic said the opposition was ready to support the passage of the education bill required by students, but there were no other decisions listed on the agenda.
“We can only discuss the fall of the government,” said Rasovic, who said the only way to get out of the current crisis is a transitional government that will create conditions for free elections, requiring ruling populists to repeatedly refuse.
Vucic and its ruling right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have imposed firm powers over the past few decades, despite formally seeking EU membership.
Many in Serbia believe that the deadly canopy collapse is the result of hasty work and the ignorance of safety regulations due to government corruption.
RTS Serbia via AP
