Croatian MEP says protests in Serbia have destabilized Vučić's grip on power

The European Commission has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in neighboring Serbia, where massive protests against President Aleksandar Vučić on Sunday resulted in clashes between police and protesters and a series of arrests.

Commenting on the situation in neighboring Serbia, Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol from the European People's Party said that he doesn't see any major difference between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the protesters: “I don't see that they are any better than Vučić, quite the contrary, on some issues they are even more radical. So, I think this is an illusion that there exists some kind of critical mass in Serbia that would abandon Greater Serbian nationalism and its policies. That's why I am not exactly optimistic as to what direction Serbian politics will go, regardless of who is in power.”

Meanwhile, fellow Croatian MEP, Tonino Picula of the European Socialists, who is also the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, said that he expects that the excessive force being used against protesters will only result in further discontent: “I'm assuming that this will result in a continued wave of protests, especially since the Serbian president feels emboldened and continues to use all of the tools at his disposal. However, his is not making use of one tool that he always turned to when he felt like his power was being threatened, and that is early elections. Just to remind people, Serbia, along with Bulgaria, is likely the record holder in terms of calling early elections in recent years. This time he is hesitant, because he senses that his power is not as solid as it used to be.”

After Sunday's protests Vučić announced that the arrests would continue and that protesters would be punished more severely.

Source: HRT