BELGRADE -- With mass protests sweeping the nation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is facing what could be the biggest challenge yet to his political power.
What began as student demands for accountability after 15 people were killed in the collapse of a concrete canopy in Novi Sad has evolved into a broader movement opposing what protesters say is the deteriorating rule of law and systemic corruption under Vucic. Over the last three months, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest in over 200 cities and towns.
"This is not only the most serious political crisis of the government but also a deep social crisis. The students are not looking for a change of government but a correction of the system," political analyst Bosko Jaksic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service.
One-Month Strike
The protests are multiplying and have become a focal point for a variety of social groups, each with their own complaints.
University teachers have voiced support for the students, but they are also raising concerns about the decline in academic freedom. Farmers have protected the students from angry motorists by bringing their tractors to blockades, but they are also demanding improved agricultural conditions and increased subsidies.
Separate protests have also been held by public transportation workers, pensioners, and education staff, among others.
Parts of the judiciary -- often criticized as lacking independence -- have also come on board. Seventeen judges from the high court in Belgrade have publicly endorsed the demands of the students in an unprecedented open letter. Judges from the cities of Nis and Kragujevac have also lent their support.
Lawyers from the Serbian Bar Association have also announced a one-month strike in support of the protests, drastically slowing down judicial proceedings.
Edward P. Joseph, a lecturer at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, told CNN that normally judges "would never dare to raise their head in such public fashion" and the fear factor is now gone.
While some city dwellers have expressed frustrations with protesters snarling traffic, 61 percent of Serbians support the blockades and protests, according to a survey conducted by the Belgrade-based Center for Research, Transparency, and Accountability.
'Fed Up With Corruption'
The demonstrations have revealed a significant weakness in Vucic's system of authority. While the presidency is a largely ceremonial position, Vucic amassed significant power as the leader of the ruling conservative-nationalist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). While he stepped down from that position in 2023, he is still widely regarded as the main decision-maker.
Chiefly concerned with fostering ties with domestic and foreign investors, Vucic's administration has underestimated the likelihood of opposition from a professional class fed up with corruption and clientelism, observers of Serbian politics say.
"It seems that Vucic is constantly making concessions in areas, where just days ago, he said he wouldn't budge. The aura of an infallible leader, an ultimate authority for his voters, is beginning to erode," said Nikola Burazer from the Belgrade-based Center for Contemporary Politics.
For example, Vucic initially rejected the students' request for the release of documentation regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station. However, he later instructed the government and the prosecutor's office to make the papers public.
And, crucially, there are signs that Vucic is starting to lose support in one of his key strongholds: the media.
Since the protests began over three months ago, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), the state-owned public broadcaster, had mostly been ignoring the protests.
That changed last weekend when RTS -- which had also been targeted by demonstrators -- opened its flagship television news program with the protests in Novi Sad. The broadcaster ran drone footage that showed tens of thousands of protesters blocking three bridges over the Danube River and bringing the city to a standstill.
Staff at Radio Television Vojvodina, RTS's sister network in Serbia's autonomous province, staged a walkout in protest at their coverage and performed an alternative reading of the news.
This shift, Burazer said, is a sign that the state broadcaster had "reacted to the pressure of the students and the wider public, and perhaps is the result of a changing atmosphere in society."
Milosevic's Minister
Media has always been the bedrock of Vucic's power. In 1998, he was appointed information minister by former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 while on trial for war crimes at The Hague.
During his time as information minister -- a period that included the war in Kosovo and NATO's intervention in the conflict -- Vucic introduced harsh penalties for noncompliant media outlets. He also banned several daily newspapers.
International media watchdogs have warned about the increasingly restrictive media environment under Vucic. The government controls all private television networks with national coverage in Serbia, including channels such as TV Pink and TV Happy, which combine reality shows and pro-government news.
Although these protests are a formidable challenge, Vucic shows no signs of backing down. With his allies, the president still holds a commanding majority in the parliament. And while his constitutional powers are limited, real power rests firmly in his hands, as he wields considerable influence over most instruments of the state.
The Serbian president has said that he will not accept the opposition's demand for a transitional government and, in a televised speech on January 29, said that the SNS has 10 days to determine whether to call for early parliamentary elections or try to form a majority government.
Vucic remains confident that, as in previous elections, he can secure victory for his party and has announced the formation of a new Movement for the People and State. The movement, he said, would "gather people" around certain ideas, although no specific details were given.
