Anti-graft rallies roil Serbia, Montenegro

Thousands of protesters marched Saturday through Serbia’s and Montenegro’s capitals as demonstrators kept up pressure on the governments to curb corruption and allow more freedom in a region that hopes to integrate with the European Union.

In Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, several thousand people took part in a fourth weekend rally in a row over allegations of corrupt practices of President Milo Djukanovic, who has been the dominant politician in the smallest former Yugoslav republic for almost three decades. Meanwhile, in the biggest state of the former federation, more than 10,000 people took to the streets of Belgrade for a 13th protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his administration.

“We will liberate this country from you,” opposition lawmaker Marinika Tepic said in her speech at the rally in Serbia. “We will defeat you, we won’t stop.”

Rallies against ruling parties have intensified across southeast Europe. In Albania, protesters have sought to oust Premier Edi Rama, also over perceived corruption, which has led to riots and tear-gas tinged clashes with the police. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, activists have protested in the Bosnian Serb capital, Banja Luka, demanding a proper investigation into a high-profile murder case that is threatening to destabilize the government.

Most opposition parties in Serbia and in Montenegro boycott their parliaments, similarly saying that there’s little room for debate under the dominance of the ruling coalitions. The EU has advised that all opposition groups return to the respective parliaments instead of boycotting sessions. Also Saturday, journalists in Croatia, another former Yugoslav republic, gathered in the capital, Zagreb, to protest against pressure on media.