Before the parliamentary session: What are the steps of the opposition

It's been more than four months since the fall canopies railway station in Novi Sad, whose collapse and death of 15 people triggered several months of protests across the country.

Turbulence on the political scene heated up in the meantime.

Prime Minister has submitted his resignation, the official approval of which is awaited, the President of the Republic has announced several times the deadlines for the formation of the new government, opposition councilors and residents of several local governments organized meetings in front of and in the premises of local authorities, the mayor of Novi Sad was elected at a session that the opposition councilors could not enter, student protests are becoming more and more extensive, and on Tuesday (March 4) the first regular meeting of the year is being held session of the Serbian Parliament.

It will discuss a number of laws, including the proposal to amend the Law on Higher Education, the adoption of which would fulfill the fourth student demand, and some opposition parties have announced that they will not participate in the session.

Some also announce potential blockades of airports, Expo construction sites, rallies in and outside the parliament building, but they want, as they say, to remain unpredictable.

Green-Left Front: The only items on the agenda are the fulfillment of student demands and the resignation of the Government

For now, the Green-Left Front does not want to talk about whether they will attend the session, but they say that the only item on the agenda must be the fulfillment of student demands and the resignation of the Government.

"Accordingly, we submitted a request to remove all other items from the agenda and we do not agree to anything else that is on the agenda," Radomir Lazović, deputy of the Green-Left Front, told "Vreme".

As he adds, the technical government in resignation "cannot and must not propose any new laws, especially not those that will damage the citizens of Serbia in the long term, such as changes to the law on planning and construction, further reduction of construction standards due to the Expo 2027 project, laws related to lithium mining, as well as new borrowing".

More than 60 proposed laws will be on the agenda of the Assembly session.

"We will not prevent the adoption of the Proposal for the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Higher Education, which is on the agenda, because we will not prevent the fulfillment of student demands, we stand for them and will provide institutional support to make them come true." And we will not prevent the Government's resignation either, but we do not agree to anything else on the agenda", says Lazović.

The Green-Left Front, he adds, will focus its actions on supporting protests, students and citizens on the streets.

"We invite people to actively participate in the general strike on March 7 and the big protest in Belgrade on March 15," says Lazović.

He reminds that the solution proposal of the Green-Left Front for getting out of the crisis "is neither Vučić's new reconstructed government, nor Vučić's fraudulent elections, which we will not agree to, but the solution is the formation of a transitional government that would have a fixed mandate to stop violence against students and "unfit" citizens, to ensure prosecution and criminal responsibility, to ensure freedom of the media and create conditions for free and fair elections".

Freedom and Justice Party: We will not participate

The deputy president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Borko Stefanović, confirmed for "Vreme" that the party will not participate in the session.

He added that the party has plans for the day of the session, but he did not want to comment on them further.

Earlier on Monday (March 3), he told N1 television that "it is pointless to feign normality until the student demands are met, and the country is under blockade."

As he stated, the meetings of the opposition have increased in frequency and everything they do, they will do together.

Coalition NADA: May we be unpredictable

Deputies of the NADA coalition will not participate in the debate or investigation at the session of the Serbian Parliament, announced the president of the New Democratic Party of Serbia (New DSS), Miloš Jovanović, at a press conference on Monday (March 3).

Participating in the discussion, as he stated, "would give some kind of legitimacy to this freak government, and we are agreeing with colleagues from the opposition on the modalities of expressing dissatisfaction."

As he said, at the session of the Assembly there are only two points that could be discussed - the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and the formation of a transitional government, "while the rest are a farce".

"All the opposition stood behind the request for the formation of a transitional government", said Jovanović and added that they are now working on "some things regarding the modality, which we will go public with relatively soon".

"I think that in the very near future there will be many joint actions of the opposition", announced Jovanović, who is the head of the NADA parliamentary group.

"We will see if we will express our dissatisfaction at the meeting with a banner." We are negotiating with our colleagues from the opposition", said Jovanović and stated that it is a tactical matter, "because the main one - strategic, is the formation of a transitional government, and the condition of all the conditions that would lead to the fulfillment of the student demands is that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, leaves power".

"I'll see you tomorrow, although maybe we'll go block the airport, block the Expo, maybe we'll show up here, so be it we're unpredictable," said Jovanovic at the end of the press conference held on Monday, March 3.

The Democratic Party does not participate

The president of the Democratic Party, Srđan Milivojević, confirmed on the X social network that the Democratic Party responded to the call of students and rebellious citizens for a general strike and that they will not participate in the session of the National Assembly.

"We do not want to participate in the appearance of parliamentarism, farce and Vučić's buying of time." There are no sessions until the requirements are met!"

The Democratic Party responded to the call of students and rebellious citizens for a General Strike and will not participate in tomorrow's session of the National Assembly. We do not want to participate in the appearance of parliamentarism, farce and Vučić's buying of time.
There are no sessions until the requirements are met!

— Srđan Milivojević (@srdjanmil037) March 3, 2025

He announced such a step earlier and now tells "Vreme" that none of the students' demands have been met and that the party is changing its own positions.

As Milivojević previously told "Vreme" "there are no elements for holding the session, especially after the pictures that arrived from Novi Sad on Monday (February 24), when the opposition was prevented from attending the session where the new mayor of that city was elected".

"The Democratic Party will not be the crutch on which the failing regime of Aleksandar Vučić relies. We will not participate in this farce of parliamentarism. For the first time since the introduction of multi-party system in Serbia, the laws proposed by the fallen government will be discussed, so when the discussion is over, then I guess someone will inform us that Miloš Vucevic has resigned. Miloš Vučević resigned from television and that is another reason that we will not participate in that farce," Milivojević told Vreme earlier.

From Bogatić, through Ruma, to Kraljevo, Novi Sad and Zaječar

Residents of certain local governments and opposition councilors have been in conflict with the police for weeks and are preventing the holding of local parliament sessions.

First, the residents of Bogatić initiated a public discussion on the spatial plan of that place on February 7, and to discuss lithium research.

There were incidents when farmers and protesters entered the Municipality building. They shouted "You will not dig", stormed the front door of the institution, and "occupied" the building.

A similar thing happened a few days later in Crabs, when farmers and protesters entered the Municipality building after deciding to radicalize the weeks-long protest, dissatisfied with the property tax increase of as much as 60 percent.

Theirs the requirements were met later.

It was stormy in Kraljevo on February 19.

Opposition councilors they blocked the work of the City Assembly, in front of the building there were protests for several hours, eggs were flying. One opposition councilor was detained, and the mayor was evacuated from the official premises in an official vehicle.

There were 16 items on the agenda of the parliamentary session in that city, which the opposition blocked. Among them, decisions on spatial plans, but also on the fate of pharmacies in Kraljevo.

Eggs were also flying in Novi Sad a few days later (March 24) when new mayor elected.

A large number of citizens then gathered in front of the City Hall, which was protected by the police, and the opposition councilors were not allowed to enter the session. This was later denied by the city authorities, but the opposition firmly claimed that it was so.

A strong cordon of police with shields was in front of the city's parliament building since the early hours of the morning. The gathered citizens threw eggs, yogurt, toilet paper, red paint, and flour at them and at the Skushtina building.

A day later, in A similar thing happened to Zajecar.. Residents of Zajecar blocked the work of the assembly of this town and tried to enter the building, but a large number of police in uniform were present at the entrance. There was a physical confrontation between the police and the demonstrators, and tear gas was thrown at them, the media announced.

The session was then adjourned.