On the evening of March 15, Belgrade became the scene of a large-scale anti-government protest, the participants of which demanded the resignation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. According to police estimates, about 107 thousand people took to the streets of the capital, while the independent monitoring organization Public Assembly Archive reported a significantly higher number of participants - up to 325 thousand. The protests, which engulfed the city center, were accompanied by slogans calling for a change of power, and were the largest in recent years, emphasizing the growing discontent with the policies of the current president.

On the eve of the rally, Vucic addressed the nation, calling the protests “illegal” and accusing their organizers of incitement from abroad, hinting at foreign interference. However, after the rally, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people, the president changed the tone of his statements, acknowledging that the authorities “heard the message” of the people and should “learn lessons” by reconsidering their approaches. Nevertheless, Vucic categorically rejected the possibility of resigning, stressing that the majority of Serbs, in his opinion, support stability and do not support “color revolutions.”

"I will not give in to blackmail and pressure. As long as I live, there will be no transitional or fraudulent governments. The street will not dictate the rules in this country," — he said, speaking to journalists.

At the same time, the president expressed his readiness to hold early elections within the next three to four months if the opposition insists on this, expressing confidence in his victory.

"I am ready for the people's verdict, but the opposition must accept the results and stop complaining", - he added.

The protests in Serbia are part of a wider political crisis fuelled by economic discontent, curbs on media freedoms and accusations of authoritarianism. In recent months, protests have spread beyond Belgrade to other major cities, including Novi Sad and Niš, where demonstrators have called for the government to resign, fair elections to be held and an end to repression of the opposition. According to international human rights organisations, Serbia has seen more than 2024 detentions of journalists and activists in 50, prompting criticism from the European Union, whose membership remains one of Belgrade’s strategic goals. In early March, the European Commission said in a report that Serbia had shown “serious regression” in the areas of rule of law and freedom of speech, which could complicate EU accession talks.