UPROAR IN BELGRADE Protest held in front of the Republic Electoral Commission, Marinika Tepić and Miroslav Aleksić begin hunger strike until elections are annulled

(Patria) - A protest by the pro-European opposition coalition "Serbia Against Violence" was held in Belgrade on Monday evening, demanding the annulment of Belgrade and parliamentary elections due to electoral fraud. The leaders of this list in the republican elections, Marinika Tepić and Miroslav Aleksić, entered the headquarters of the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK), where they began a hunger strike until their demands are met. Thousands of people gathered in front of the RIK throughout the night.

The president of the RIK, Vladimir Dimitrijević, stated at an extraordinary press conference held after midnight that "inappropriate pressure is being exerted on the RIK".

"The RIK is not the appellate body; that is the Higher Court in Belgrade. The RIK cannot annul or call new Belgrade elections," said the president of the Republic Electoral Commission.

He stated that this is "unprecedented" and that the protests have allegedly "escalated into violence".

Dimitrijević stated that the director of the Statistical Office of the Republic, Miladin Kovačević, as well as several members of the RIK, were physically attacked, adding that this must be "most severely sanctioned".

Marinika Tepić from the "Serbia Against Violence" coalition, who is in the RIK building with Miroslav Aleksić and has started a hunger strike, stated in a TV N1 broadcast that she decided on this most radical measure because it is "the last moment to fight for the electoral will of the people of Belgrade".

"That's the simplest thing I can say... Because the theft was abnormal. There is no settlement where citizens have not witnessed brutal thefts," said Tepić, citing an example from the Arena: "Where people from other countries were brought in to decide in the local elections in Belgrade".

Numerous students were also present in front of the RIK, and the entrance to the RIK was pelted with eggs, cans, and other objects.