Serbian president calls for ‘democratic dialogue’ with antigov’t protesters

Opposition enactment dismisses anticipation of talks arsenic President Aleksandar Vucic urges statement aft 9 months of aggravated protests.

Serbia’s populist president has called for dialog with antigovernment protesters successful the Balkan state pursuing much than 9 months of demonstrations that person challenged his rule.

“Serbia has to lick its problems with antiauthoritarian dialogue, not with violence,” President Aleksandar Vucic wrote successful a station accompanied by a video that helium shared connected Instagram connected Friday.

“I invitation the representatives of the blockade question to a speech and a nationalist statement astir visions, to sermon our plans and programmes for the aboriginal and each unneurotic condemn the unit connected our streets,” helium added.

In the video code from his bureau successful Belgrade, Vucic said helium was acceptable to talk with the representatives of students and different antigovernment protesters, including successful TV debates.

“I suggest … treatment and statement connected each our televisions, connected each our [internet] portals with morganatic representatives, that is, those they choose,” Vucic said.

The months of protests crossed Serbia were prompted by the deaths of 16 radical erstwhile a extortion connected a renovated railway presumption successful Novi Sad collapsed past November.

Protesters person blamed corruption for the presumption catastrophe and are demanding aboriginal elections successful the anticipation of ousting Vucic and his party.

They besides impeach the authorities of utilizing unit against governmental rivals and suppressing media freedoms. The authorities denies each the allegations.

The protests were chiefly peaceful until earlier this month, erstwhile dozens of constabulary officers and civilians were injured successful clashes, and hundreds were detained.

‘You don’t marque a occurrence section with an arsonist’

“I privation america to face visions … to lick that done dialog and speech … nary conflict, nary violence. To rebuild the state again, to get it backmost connected way wherever it was 9 months ago,” Vucic said.

Savo Manojlovic, the caput of the centrist absorption Move-Change party, dismissed the anticipation of talks.

“A president who resorts to unit is not idiosyncratic with whom you tin statement astir governmental issues, this is simply a … corrupt authorities that tramples connected … ideology and quality rights,” Manojlovic said.

“You don’t marque a occurrence section with an arsonist.”

Vucic’s 2nd and last five-year statesmanlike word ends successful 2027, erstwhile parliamentary elections are besides due.

Representatives of the students said they would statement with Vucic lone during an predetermination campaign.

“He [Vucic] has nary reply to the fashionable rebellion … We volition statement … during the campaign, aft the elections are announced,” students from the Belgrade-based Faculty of Philosophy said successful a statement.