President of the National Assembly and senior Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) official, Ana Brnabić, has denied claims that the party paid people to attend Saturday’s rally at Belgrade Arena. She confirmed that all costs associated with the event will be reported to the Anti-Corruption Agency.
In an interview with N1, Brnabić addressed reports that two journalists from the network had been paid a daily allowance for attending the rally, which they later returned to the party. She emphasized that SNS does not need to pay attendees to come to its events.
“I know the atmosphere when I walk through the stands, as I did at the Arena rally, greeting people. These are not coerced or intimidated individuals. Media investigations are legitimate, but it leaves a negative impression that similar scrutiny isn’t applied to opponents,” Brnabić stated.
She added that the party has always reported all costs to the Anti-Corruption Agency, including expenses for organized transport and other rally-related logistics.
Brnabić also criticized claims suggesting SNS relies on “good Samaritans” to fund rallies, noting that party activities are financed through parliamentary and local government resources.
When asked about coordinators allegedly handing out cash after rallies, Brnabić reiterated that “no one gives money to attendees” and dismissed such reports as “absolute nonsense.” She highlighted that even personal invitations she extended to friends did not involve any payments.
The Anti-Corruption Agency confirmed it will request information and evidence from all political parties, including SNS, regarding income and payments related to public events. The results of the review will be made publicly available.
According to the Ministry of Interior, approximately 70,000 people attended the SNS rally – 32,000 inside Belgrade Arena and 38,000 outside. The Public Assemblies Archive estimated around 8,000 people outside the arena.
