Serb President Seeks Government Reshuffle to Calm Protests

(Bloomberg) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called for at least half of the government’s ministers to be replaced as he seeks to defuse nearly three months of protests triggered by a deadly roof collapse at a railway station.

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Anger over the collapse in the northern city of Novi Sad has developed into a fully-fledged movement against the president and his ruling Progressive party. Tens of thousands of students and opposition supporters blocked parts of central Belgrade on Monday, one of the biggest rallies since the Nov. 1 incident.

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The capital’s blockade ended as planned on Tuesday morning but an overnight incident in Novi Sad left several students injured, regional broadcaster N1 reported. A group of Vucic loyalists clashed with activists who were calling for a new rally to be held on Saturday, according to the report.

The protests have emerged as the biggest challenge in years to Vucic, a leader who has sought to balance Serbia’s interests between Russia and the European Union. He said street protests are already hurting the economy, even causing a slight decline in foreign investments in January from a year earlier.

“Any continuation of the crisis creates a serious problem in the economic development of the country,” Vucic said.

Students and opposition groups have accused the authorities of neglect and corruption in renovation works at the station that was reopened just months before the collapse.

The protesters are demanding swift punishment for all involved in the station’s renovation. Eleven arrests and two resignations of ministers in November failed to quell the public anger.

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All demands by student protesters’ have been met, including an increased funding for higher education and full disclosure of all documents about the station renovation, Vucic said.

Earlier this month, the president said he would step down if he lost a national referendum on his performance as the nation’s leader, a move which most opposition parties dismissed as a ploy. He has also accused protest leaders of being funded by unspecified foreign agents to try to destabilize Serbia.

Two public opinion polls conducted in December show the ruling party’s popularity at around 48%, far ahead of the opposition. Vucic has dismissed protesters’ demands for a “transitional” government of non-partisan experts and activists, saying that power cannot be transferred without proper elections.

Vucic is now serving his second and final term as president. He has promised not to amend the constitution to remove the limit on presidential terms.

(Updates with Belgrade blockade over, new incident in northern city in third paragraph)

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