The end of Aleksandar Vučić’s rule seems to be on the horizon, according to Serbian activists from Kosovo and Albanians active in Serbia. Politician Rada Trajković believes that in an attempt to divert attention from the protests against him, Vučić might intensify nationalist rhetoric, which would undermine the dialogue with Kosovo.
Protests in Serbia demonstrate that President Aleksandar Vučić has lost support, and in an effort to improve his position, he will likely redirect attention towards Kosovo and Croatia, according to Serbian politicians and analysts in Kosovo.
Political activist Rada Trajković expressed concern that the political situation in Serbia would also strain the dialogue process and the implementation of agreements.
“I believe Vučić has lost significant support in Serbia, and this will put even more pressure on negotiations with Kosovo, considering that he will try to regain his influence through nationalist rhetoric. This will complicate the already agreed-upon projects between Kosovo and Serbia, which, in my opinion, will make the talks even more complex,” Trajković stated.
Protests against Vučić have become widespread, starting in Novi Sad almost two months ago after 15 people died when the roof of a train station collapsed.
Miodrag Miličević, director of the “Aktiv” organization based in North Mitrovica, says that Serbian society is deeply polarized between supporters and opponents of Vučić. He notes that a similar situation exists among Serbs in Kosovo, citing Friday’s protest in the north as an example.
“Yesterday, we had a protest in North Mitrovica, which is something we haven’t seen in a long time. It was a small but symbolic number of participants, but the fact that people feel free to express themselves and protest about the issues that concern them is very important. Over time, we will see more people who will feel confident enough to publicly speak out loud and clear, as we say in Serbian,” Miličević said.
Miličević added that the protests will not stop and expects Serbia to hold early elections, but not under the current circumstances and not under the conditions in which elections have been held so far.
Albanian politician from Bujanovac, Ragmi Mustafi, stated that Albanians in Serbia should not remain indifferent if Vučić’s regime is to come to an end.
“The recent events in Belgrade and other Serbian cities are an alarm for the entire region. As citizens of Bujanoc, Preševo, and Medveđa, we cannot stay indifferent to developments that affect not only Serbia but also our future. Although we do not expect a major change in the stance on the Preševo Valley, the first step is the end of Vučić’s and Mitrović’s regime,” Mustafi said.
In response to the protests, Vučić organized a rally in Jagodina on Friday.
