Opposition files criminal charges after fortress fire
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The campaign for early parliamentary elections has moved from the ballot box to the walls of the Niš Fortress. Opposition parties have filed criminal charges following an incident where a rally and fireworks display ended with the historic ramparts catching fire, an event the opposition describes as an arsonist's rampage.
The ruling coalition is showing other signs of strain. Sixteen officials from the Socialist Party of Serbia resigned en masse this week citing their convictions, while the central bank governor is facing questions over a five-room apartment in Belgrade that reportedly failed to appear on her official asset declaration. Meanwhile, analysts are questioning whether a billion euros in state aid is pouring fuel on the inflation fire.
The electoral commission has now proclaimed 19 lists for the upcoming vote, but students have already announced a rally in front of its headquarters. Their grievance is the logistical difficulty for the diaspora to vote, a process that currently requires some citizens to travel thousands of kilometres to reach a polling station. For many abroad, the right to vote remains more a theory than a practice.