Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic speaks during a public address in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. Serbia's ruling populists insisted that weekend snap elections were free and fair despite criticism from international observers who noted multiple irregularities during the vote in the Balkan nation that is a candidate for European Union membership. Vucic say that the institutions will end the electoral process, and that it is a matter of institutions and laws. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Police in Serbia fired tear gas to prevent hundreds of opposition supporters from entering the capital’s city council building Sunday in protest of what election observers said were widespread vote irregularities during a general election last weekend.
The country’s populist authorities have denied rigging the vote. President Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday that those claims were blatant “lies” promoted by the political opposition.
Shielded riot police barricaded themselves inside Belgrade’s city hall, firing tear gas as hundreds of opposition protesters broke windows on the entrance of the downtown building.
The protesters shouted “Open the door” and “Thieves,” as they also pelted the building with eggs. Some chanted “Vucic is Putin,” comparing the Serbian president with Russia’s leader.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
