A campaign to remove portraits of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić from offices and public institutions has begun in several Serbian cities following the Student List’s victory in the parliamentary elections.
Serbian media report that citizens and representatives of local organisations have removed Vučić’s photographs from institutional buildings. Published footage shows similar actions taking place in several parts of Serbia.
In Kragujevac, a group of citizens entered the Old Court building, which also houses city administration offices, and removed a photograph associated with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) campaign from the mayor’s office. The photograph was subsequently thrown into a rubbish bin.
In Kula, representatives of the local organisation “Young People of Kula” also removed Vučić’s portrait from the municipal building. Meanwhile, in Odžaci, a citizen entered the office of the director of the municipal public utility company and took the Serbian president’s photograph off the wall.
Similar scenes have also been reported in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Niš and Lazarevac, where SNS banners and symbols have been removed.
According to the Serbian newspaper Danas, these actions have brought renewed attention to the tradition of removing political symbols following major changes of power in Serbia.
Historian Bojan Dimitrijević described the actions as an expression of the citizens’ will and a reaction to the political changes.
The actions are taking place following the Student List’s victory in the parliamentary elections.
