Thousands Protest Serbian President In Belgrade, Other Cities

Several thousand people marched through central Belgrade on January 19 to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic's rule.

At least 10,000 people were estimated to have taken part in the march, the latest in a series of protests over the past eight weeks against Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) policies toward the media and election reforms.

The protests are organized by the Alliance for Serbia, a grouping of some 30 opposition parties and organisations. Demonstrators wore badges that read: "It has started" as they chanted slogans such as "Vucic thief."

"The only demand we have is that this evil [regime] goes away," said Branisalv Trifunovic, an actor who addressed the crowd. "We want elections, but freedom must come first."

Vucic had previously said he would not bend to opposition demands for reforms to the electoral system or increased media freedom "even if there were 5 million people on the streets."

"I came here to express my dissatisfaction with the ruling elite," said Ljiljana Zivanovic, a 64-year old pensioner. "The [SNS and Vucic] control all media, I am sick of all the corruption going on."

The protests have spread to other cities in Serbia and were also held on January 18 in country's second city Novi Sad, the southern city of Nis, and several other towns.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa