GNV News, March 19, 2025

On March 14, 2025, student-led protests took place in Belgrade and other major cities. These demonstrations are the largest during incumbent President Aleksandar Vučić’s roughly 11 years of authoritarian rule. The cause of the protests lies in government corruption, and citizens and students are increasingly frustrated with corruption and opaque politics. Similar demonstrations were sparked in November 2024, partly triggered by an incident in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, where the concrete roof of a railway station collapsed shortly after reconstruction. The incident is believed to have resulted from lax safety management tied to government corruption.

Meanwhile, President Aleksandar Vučić claims the protests are an imported revolution and that Western intelligence agencies are involved, but he has provided no concrete evidence. Going forward, the focus will be on how the protests develop and how the Vučić administration responds.

Learn more about past protests in Serbia → “Mass protests erupt in Serbia over the resumption of a lithium mining project”

Learn more about corruption around the world → “The world’s worst corruption scandal? Malaysia”

Scenes from a protest in Serbia (February 2025) (Photo: Dejan Krsmanovic / Flickr [CC BY 2.0])