World

Protesters Overwhelm Pro‑Vucic TV Station Amid Post‑Election Celebrations

By Al Jazeera Staff

Protesters entered a Serbian television station that supports former President Aleksandar Vucic, interrupting its broadcast to demand the arrest of its editor‑in‑chief and owner, Dragan Vucicevic. Roughly 30 people were seen entering the newsroom on Monday evening, according to live footage shown by Informer TV. Some demonstrators shouted slogans such as “This is how it is in free Serbia!” and “Where is Vucic now?” and called for Vucicevic’s arrest.

President Vucic, who had been prime minister since 2014 and president since 2017, posted on his personal Instagram account that the incident was an attack on free speech and the freedom of journalism. He wore a jumper with the word “sorry” crossed out.

The unrest followed the defeat of Vucic’s alliance in the Sunday election, in which the Student List—a student‑led anti‑corruption movement—won a historic victory, ending the ruling party’s 14‑year hold on power. Celebrations erupted across Serbia, with fireworks lighting the sky after Vucic announced his concession. Voter Jana Vasic told Al Jazeera that the result meant “freedom from a dictatorship that has lasted for 12 years.”

The Student List has no clear leader, and Serbians are waiting to see who will be appointed prime minister and other key positions. Its leading candidate, cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, urged calm, saying, “We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process, just like you have been until now. Don’t resort to any form of violence. Your Student List and your student movement urge you on this.”

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia announced that it would apply on Tuesday to have Informer TV’s broadcasting licence revoked, citing systematic violations of law and programme obligations.

Informer’s Vucicevic released a statement saying, “On the very first day of [Student List] power, they want to ban the media. They have said everything about themselves, and nothing about us.”

Separately, a group of people gathered outside the private pro‑Vucic Pink TV station in Belgrade on Monday evening, where police cordoned off the premises. Earlier, public broadcaster RTV in the Vojvodina region began its evening news bulletin by apologising to viewers for failing to fulfil its role, citing uncritical, one‑sided reporting.

Serbia was ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, its lowest position ever and the worst in the European Union‑Balkan region. The Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) election monitor noted that television stations with national reach gave three‑quarters of the time allotted to politicians to government representatives, and that the Student List was portrayed negatively more than 80 percent of the time it was discussed.