Chaos in Serbian Parliament: Lawmakers Injured as Smoke Bombs and Flares Disrupt Session

Lawmakers were to vote on a legislation but the opposition wanted the parliament to confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government first.

At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday, one of them seriously, after chaotic scenes erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown, further intensifying political tensions in the Balkan country.

Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law to increase university education funding, but opposition parties accused the ruling majority of attempting to push through dozens of additional decisions illegally. They insisted that before any other legislative actions, parliament must first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.

The unrest began about an hour into the session when opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings with whistles and held up a banner reading, “Serbia has risen so the regime would fall!” Outside, hundreds of opposition supporters rallied in protest.

Opposition lawmakers hold banners reading: “General strike!” during a parliament session in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Videos from the assembly hall captured violent clashes between lawmakers as flares and smoke bombs were hurled. Serbian media reported that eggs and water bottles were also thrown.

Officials confirmed that three people were injured, including lawmaker Jasmina Obradovic, who was taken to the hospital. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic condemned the opposition as a “terrorist gang,” while Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic called the incident “a disgrace to Serbia.”

President Aleksandar Vucic later visited Obradovic in the hospital, sharing a photo of himself holding her hand in an emergency room. “Jasmina will win, Serbia will win,” he wrote on Instagram.

A man holds a banner reading: “All of Serbia has risen” and stands in silence to commemorate the 15 victims killed after a railway concrete canopy fell in November 2024, during a Serbia’s parliament session in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The incident underscores Serbia’s deepening political crisis, marked by months of anti-corruption protests against Vucic’s populist government. Prime Minister Vucevic resigned in January amid public outrage over the deadly collapse of a train station canopy in northern Serbia, which killed 15 people. Critics have blamed the tragedy on widespread government corruption. However, parliament has yet to formally confirm his resignation, further fueling tensions.

A rise in education funding has been a key demand of Serbia’s protesting students, who have led near-daily street demonstrations since the Novi Sad disaster on November 1. Opposition lawmakers, led by leftist politician Radomir Lazovic, expressed willingness to approve the education bill but refused to support other measures included in the agenda.

“We can only discuss the fall of the government,” Lazovic stated, emphasizing that the only resolution to the crisis would be a transitional government to ensure free and fair elections—an idea that Vucic’s ruling party has repeatedly rejected.

Despite Serbia’s official aspirations for European Union membership, Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have maintained a tight grip on power for years. Many Serbians believe the tragic canopy collapse was a direct result of government negligence, rushed construction, and systemic corruption—issues that continue to fuel widespread discontent.