Riot police clashing with demonstrators in Belgrade and other cities have defined Serbia’s turbulent summer. What began last November as a product of anger over corruption and collapsing infrastructure has become a broader protest movement against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s rule. Students are demanding free elections and accountability, but the government has responded with riot police, arrests, and counter-rallies.

Vučić has led this Balkan country for more than a decade. Throughout his rule, he has consolidated power through pressure on the media, politicizing the courts, and mobilizing state resources for his party. Elections are still held, but international monitors document widespread irregularities, from pressure on state employees to heavy pro-government media coverage. Opposition leaders argue that they cannot compete on anything close to a level playing field.