Now Serbia's fate is being decided on Belgrade's streets, writes news site Euractiv in a leader ahead of Saturday's protest.
As tens of thousands of Serbs take to the capital, analysts are warning of violent clashes. In recent days, ultra-nationalist supporters of President Vucic have also gathered in Belgrade, sparking fears of physical confrontations between the rival camps.
The opposition accuses Vucic of having "mobilized criminals and gangsters" to the protests, writes AFP.
A deadly roof collapse at a train station in Novi Sad in November became the catalyst for the popular uprising. But what initially started as small, student-led demonstrations against state corruption has now grown into the largest protests in the country's history, sometimes with as many as 100,000 participants. Several times, most recently this week, demonstrators have been met with violence from riot police.
Hoping for violence?
Saturday's protest is expected to be the largest yet. No one knows how the government will respond, but Vucic has repeatedly accused the demonstrators of being criminal violence-makers trying to stage a coup.
The president likely hopes for violence, believes Dusan Spasojevic, professor of political science at Belgrade University.
He probably hopes that it will become violent, so that the police have the right to intervene and get most of the demonstrators to leave, says the professor to AFP.
Human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders is calling for EU and international support.
"The government is trying everything: threats, disinformation, violence. Serbia's future as a free country is at stake – and yet the reactions outside Serbia are few", says Europe chief Ivana Randjelovic.
"Next Belarus"
The EU has long criticized Serbia, which has been negotiating EU membership since 2014, for its lack of democratic reforms.
"Now, when a mass movement in the country is demanding precisely that, the silence is striking. The demonstrators deserve international support", says Randjelovic and continues:
"Serbia stands at a crossroads – either we become the next Belarus or we become a free country."
The demonstrators have promised to continue protesting even after Saturday. The protests are described as the greatest challenge for Vucic since he came to power in 2012. This week, the president stated that he will never meet the demands for his resignation.
On November 1, 2024, in the midst of rush hour, a 48-meter-long concrete roof collapsed at the train station in Novi Sad in northern Serbia.
15 people died, including a six-year-old child. Two more were injured.
The train station was built in 1964 and had been renovated between 2021 and 2024, just before the collapse. The accident is still under investigation.
Shortly after the tragedy, demonstrators began gathering in Novi Sad. The protests quickly spread across Serbia, driven by widespread discontent with the government. The demonstrators accuse President Aleksandar Vucic's government of, among other things, mismanagement, corruption, media censorship, and lax building regulations.
In late December, 13 people, including the country's former transport minister Goran Vesic, were charged in connection with the Novi Sad accident. Vesic announced his resignation shortly afterwards.
In late January, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who is largely subordinate to President Vucic, also announced his resignation. However, it has not yet been implemented, as the resignation has not been processed by parliament.
