German Analyst: EU Should Take Protests in Serbia Seriously

Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/ANA SLOVIC)

The European Union should take seriously the protests in Serbia over allegations of electoral irregularities, which should be investigated and considered in the appropriate manner, German analyst Johanna Deimel stated for Demostat on Dec. 28.

“The call for the improvement of the electoral process already sounded unusually strong in the statement of Brussels. Besides, it would certainly help if European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, together with European Council President Charles Michel and the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, declared solidarity with the pro-European forces and called for an investigation of alleged irregularities during the elections in Serbia,” Deimel stated.

Deimel, who is an analyst covering the Western Balkans and southeastern Europe, expressed doubt that the leader of the ruling coalition in Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, would “consent to an investigation of the election process and a revision of the election results,” adding that “it has already been seen how brutally certain demonstrators were treated.”

“However, violence of certain demonstrators is also absolutely counter-productive and unacceptable. Violent protests represent a standstill, they eventually give the authorities a reason to respond in a repressive manner. They only lead to greater violence and discredit the legitimate peaceful protest,” she stated. Deimel added that “even more dangerous is a possibility that, as former U.S. ambassador Michael Kirby has surmised, the violent participants were agitators employed by the Serbian Progressive Party or the Russians.”