Thousands Rally in Belgrade Calling for Early Elections at Anti-Government Protest

Konstantin Karagyozov, BTA correspondent Teodora Encheva

Thousands of people gather in downtown Belgrade on Saturday evening for an anti-government protest, calling for early parliamentary elections, May 23, 2026. (BTA Photo/Emil Conkic)

Belgrade,

23.05.2026 20:31

(BTA)

Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Belgrade on Saturday evening for an anti-government protest, calling for early parliamentary elections. The demonstration, held under the slogan “Students Win” is the first major protest of 2026 in the Serbian capital.

The student-led protests are part of a broader movement that emerged after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, an incident that killed 16 people and left one person seriously injured. Students have taken a leading role in mobilising demonstrations, calling for the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic, while accusing the government of negligence and corruption. The Serbian government has responded to the mass protests with harsh crackdowns, including arbitrary arrests of organisers and supporters, measures that have drawn strong criticism from individual Members of the European Parliament as well as officials from the European Commission.

At around 6 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Bulgarian time), the crowd filled Slavija Square and surrounding streets in central Belgrade, accompanied by drumbeats and whistles. Drone images published on the Instagram account of the Moj Beograd online portal showed the scale of turnout in support of the student-led movement.

The protest is proceeding peacefully without reported incidents.

/KK/