Some opposition MPs lit flares and threw smoke bombs during a parliament session - the first since mass protests claimed the resignation of the Serbian prime minister.
Milica Stojanovic and Katarina Baletic, March 4, 2025
Smoke bombs in the Serbian Parliament, March 4 2025. Screenshot: parlament.gov.rs
Serbian MPs from the ruling majority and opposition brawled on Tuesday inside the National Assembly chamber, where smoke bombs were also set off on the first of this year’s parliament sessions, which was held amid heightened tensions as mass protests continue to shake the country.
In the tense atmosphere, MPs could not even agree on the session agenda, with the opposition arguing that after Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic’s resignation last month, which came as the student-led protests escalated, the government has no right to propose any new laws apart from an amendment on university tuition fees.
“We believe that only one item can be on the agenda, and that is the fulfillment of the student demands,” Radomir Lazovic from the Green-Left Front told media in front of parliament after the incidents.
After the ruling majority voted for the planned agenda, a couple of MPs got into a fight, initially with the parliamentary security, then some of them lit flares and threw smoke bombs. Amidst the chaos, a fight broke out among MPs.
Despite the chaos and smoke, governing coalition MPs continued the session. Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic said that three ruling party MPs had been injured, but insisted the working day would not be interrupted.
“We will work today in accordance with the rules of procedure, until 6 p.m.,” she said.
Riot police deployed at the back entrance of the Serbian parliament. Photo: BIRN.
The opposition meanwhile continued to try to disrupt the session by blowing whistles and vuvuzelas while ruling MPs were talking.
Mass protests sparked by the Novi Sad railway station disaster in November, which left 15 people dead, have continued for three months. Protesters say the disaster highlighted official corruption and the government’s disdain for the population.
The ongoing protests represent the most powerful challenge to President Aleksandar Vucic’s rule since he came to power, and have already claimed the resignations of several senior officials.
However, the political opposition has been largely sidelined by the ongoing protests, which have strongly avoided being coopted for party purposes.
Tuesday’s parliamentary session was the first one in 2025, and the first one after Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned in February as the authorities sought to defuse the growing protest movement. At the end of the session, Vucevic’s resignation should be confirmed.
While the chaos in parliament was ongoing, members of the public started to gather in front of the parliament and police forces were deployed.
Copyright BIRN 2007