German MEP Andreas Schieder, head of the SPO delegation in the European Parliament, has called for snap elections in Serbia following electoral law reforms and the formation of a national unity government.
According to Schieder, President Aleksandar Vučić no longer holds a majority in the country. “Vučić is at the end. If he wanted to win elections again, he would have to organize himself ‘massively,’ meaning he would have to manipulate,” Schieder stated.
The Austrian social democrat is among the few European politicians who openly criticize Vučić’s authoritarian regime and the recent police violence against students. He stressed that in the next elections, a united democratic list led by students is essential.
“Students have broad support across society – from parents to grandparents. With them, a transitional national unity government should be formed so that the country can change and be freed,” he told STANDARD.
Schieder compared the situation to the year 2000, when Slobodan Milošević was ousted from power and reformist Zoran Đinđić took the country’s leadership. He described today’s student movement as “the Đinđić of these years,” adding that opposition parties also recognize that students should lead the democratic movement after snap elections.
Criticism of Vučić has also come from the European People’s Party (EPP), of which Vučić’s SNS is a member. EPP President Manfred Weber confirmed that the party has launched a procedure to review SNS’s membership, which is expected to conclude in the coming days.
For the past ten months, tens of thousands of Serbian citizens have protested, demanding stronger rule of law and transparency. Demonstrators argue that under Vučić, institutions have been “captured” by SNS, and the separation of powers no longer exists in Serbia.
