Serbia will not declare a state of emergency due to the incidents of anti-government protests, but within a few days "expect a strong reaction from the state", Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an address to the nation today, quoted by the Serbian national television RTS, BTA reported.
"We have not discussed declaring a state of emergency, and the procedure for declaring a state of emergency is complicated," Vucic noted. "We have not discussed it, but we have enough measures that we can take in accordance with the law. This is a last resort.
He added that the state would react very soon to "protect citizens forever from crimes against them and their property".
"I mean you will see our surprising decisions, and then comes decisive action. It will seem to you that we have retreated, and then decisiveness, with everything we have," Vucic said. "We will resist external pressure and we will win. We need time and the response will be different, I promise it will not last long.".
The Serbian president promised that all those who committed violence during the protests would be found and arrested. According to him, the anti-government protests pose a great danger to the country, as they are introducing it into a "stage of socially controlled chaos".
"The goal is to shake the system, undermine trust in institutions and create an atmosphere of constant instability", Vucic also stressed. "My warning to the people is the warning I give to myself, the warning I give to my friends in the police who are toiling away at night - if we don't take more decisive and big steps, it's a matter of days before someone is killed".
After the tragedy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad last year, when an accident at the train station killed 16 people, a wave of social discontent swept the entire country. Students blocked more than 60 faculties in the country and led the already spontaneous protests, accusing the government and President Aleksandar Vucic of corruption and nepotism. The government and the president, on the other hand, claim that opposition parties are behind the protests, not ordinary citizens.
The protests in recent days have resulted in clashes between protesters and police, as well as hundreds of demonstrators being arrested.