Dejan Kulja, a member of the presidency of the Serbia Center (SRCE) and head of its Novi Sad city organization, said he expects Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to cancel a planned rally in Novi Sad at the last minute.
Speaking to TV Nova, Kulja said the rally, scheduled for Friday, was inappropriate for a city still dealing with the aftermath of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, which killed 16 people.
“Novi Sad is a wounded city. Less than two years ago, the canopy collapsed, and a terrible tragedy took 16 lives. Instead of party rallies, the people of Novi Sad expect answers and the truth. They want to know why this happened and who is responsible,” Kulja said.
He argued that the city does not need a political rally at this time and expressed concern over the potential for tensions and unrest.
Kulja said security in Novi Sad had deteriorated and predicted that large numbers of citizens could take to the streets to protest the SNS gathering.
“Novi Sad, which used to be synonymous with security, is no longer that. Security has simply been compromised,” he said, adding that he hoped there would be no incidents because such scenes were “not in the character of the people of Novi Sad.”
Kulja called on citizens to demonstrate their demand for answers over the railway station disaster rather than support for a political gathering.
Questions over railway station reopening
Kulja also claimed that SNS could be preparing to reopen the Novi Sad railway station during the election campaign.
He said he had information that work had been carried out on an area outside the station and that part of the facility could potentially be put back into operation.
“It is not known when this will happen. In the meantime, residents of Novi Sad are traveling to Petrovaradin to use the station,” Kulja said.
The planned SNS rally comes amid continued political tensions in Serbia, with the railway station disaster remaining a central issue for opposition parties and protesters demanding accountability for the deaths.
