Sawt Falasteen - Huge crowds build as Serbian protesters demand early elections

As the hours-long rally began, massive crowds were building, with more streaming into a major square of the capital, according to AFP journalists.

Carrying Serbian flags and banners, many emblazoned with the names of cities and towns throughout the Balkan nation, the protest began with a rendition of the national anthem.

"We are not the problem, we are the consequence," one banner read.

Anti-graft protests have rocked the country since November, when the roof of a train station collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people -- a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption.

For more than half a year, students have blockaded universities and organised large demonstrations around the country, demanding a transparent investigation into the deaths.

With little action from authorities, their focus shifted last month to calling for early parliamentary elections.

The student organisers have set an "ultimatum" for President Aleksandar Vucic to call for early elections by 9 pm (1900 GMT) Saturday.

Vucic had already rejected on Friday the students' demand, having previously stated that a national election would not be held before the end of 2026.

"The ultimatum was not accepted, you don't have to wait until 9 pm tomorrow," Vucic said, according to RTS state television.

-'Foreign powers'-

Nearby, thousands of Vucic supporters were also rallying in a counter-demonstration outside the parliament building.

Joining the pro-government encampments that have blocked a main intersection in the city for months, the crowd was marked with bikers and war veterans.

The outcry over the Novi Sad disaster has already toppled the country's prime minister, but the governing party remains in power -- with a reshuffled government and the president at its heart.

Vucic has repeatedly accused the protests, which have remained peaceful throughout, of being part of a foreign plot to destroy his government.

"The foreign powers sent an ultimatum through local henchmen," Vucic said after attending a mass in the central Serbian city of Krusevac on Friday.

Fuelling fears of confrontations between the two large groups, Vucic warned Saturday that "there will be violence" toward the end of the student protest.

More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become a routine government reaction ahead of large demonstrations.

On Friday, five people were remanded in custody for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, according to a statement from Serbia's Higher Court in Belgrade.

-'Radicalisation'-

Students have also called for the removal of the pro-government encampments, while warning of "radicalisation" of the movement if their demands were not met.

Police urged protesters to remain peaceful.

"Any attempt to attack the police, to storm any state institution, media outlet, or private property will not be tolerated by the Serbian police," police director Dragan Vasiljevic said in a statement.

Initial plans by Vucic's party to host a counter-rally were scrapped, though party officials said they might visit their supporters' camps.

Saturday's rally is expected to be the largest since March, when 300,000 people gathered in Belgrade, according to an independent counting organisation.

Earlier this month, local polls in two municipalities marked the first electoral clash between an opposition coalition and Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party.

The governing party secured a narrow victory amid accusations of voter bribery and electoral interference -- similar to those following its win in the December 2023 parliamentary elections.

As before, Vucic denied allegations of fraud.

K.Hassan--SF-PST