Strong Pressure on the Government

Protests in Serbia, Belgrade, Dec. 4 2021 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/DS)

*** During the publication of the BetaWeek bulletin in the afternoon on Dec. 8, the Serbian Cabinet released a statement saying that it would withdraw amendments and supplements to the Law on Expropriation from parliament, which the Serbian President had returned to the legislative body. The Cabinet announced that it would perform an analysis of whether the amendments and supplements to the Law on Expropriation were necessary and that if so, it would organize a broad public debate gathering the expert public, relevant organizations and business and civil society representatives. The Cabinet also said that it had proposed that the Serbian parliament change three provisions of the Law on Referendums and People's Initiatives. The Get Going for Change initiative asked that they be changed as a condition to stop organizing roadblocks. After the Cabinet's announcement, Get Going For Change initiative leader Savo Manjolovic declared that the civil protests had won, but that the blockades would be organized on Dec. 11 if the government does not implement its announced decisions by Friday, Dec. 10.

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Protests in which demonstrators erected road blockades were held in dozens of cities in Serbia on Dec. 4, for the second Saturday in a row. Unlike the first one-hour protest on Nov. 27, the blockades lasted two hours and gathered a considerably larger number of citizens than a week before. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was forced to react and hinted that he was ready to meet one of the protesters’ two demands – scrapping a set of amendments and supplements to the Law on Expropriation.