Vucevic and Vucic call Kragujevac rally at Jezero Hall

The “Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia” list holds a campaign rally this afternoon, Friday, October 9, at Jezero Hall in Kragujevac. The posts announcing the event do not give a start time. Citizens were invited by Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) president Milos Vucevic and by the list’s lead candidate Aleksandar Vucic, both on Instagram.

What did Vucevic say in his invitation to the Kragujevac rally?

Vucevic posted the invitation as a video on October 9. He presented the rally as a chance to hear messages from the candidate for prime minister, but the invitation does not name that candidate.

“We are going to hear important messages from our candidate for prime minister. Once again, to show that a united Serbia is the only Serbia that wins,” Vucevic said.

The same video ended with an appeal: “So, everyone to Kragujevac, see you this afternoon, Jezero Hall, list number one.” The “Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia” list carries number one on the ballot, and Vucevic repeated that in the invitation.

What did Vucic post with the invitation?

Vucic published his invitation to the Kragujevac rally last night, October 8, on his Instagram account. The message is short:

• “United for Serbia! See you in Kragujevac!”

He also shared a video message from Tomislav Nikolic, the former SNS president. Nikolic likewise calls on people to come to Kragujevac, and says in the message that Serbia’s honor and freedom are under attack by those who want to overthrow and wreck it.

What did Vucevic say in Novi Sad?

The day before the Kragujevac invitation, Vucevic was in Novi Sad, meeting citizens. Vladislav Dajkovic, president of the “Free Montenegro” party, and director Dragoslav Bokan also spoke there. Vucevic invited the people of Novi Sad to a large campaign rally in the city.

“Nobody will be able to ban a rally in Novi Sad, it will be the biggest in the city’s history,” Vucevic said.

According to the same report, Vucevic said Serbia, and Vojvodina and Novi Sad in particular, had been exposed to heavy political pressure over the past two years, and that the blockades were an attack on institutions, education and the everyday life of citizens. He added that nobody would be able to stop citizens from gathering and freely stating their political views, and that a united Serbia would win at that rally.

The reports available to the newsroom give no date, place or time for the Novi Sad rally. They also do not say who requested a ban or tried to impose one.

What is known about how the rally will go?

At the time of publication the rally at Jezero Hall had not yet started, so it is not known who will speak or what will be said. The only thing announced is that the list’s candidate for prime minister will deliver messages. The invitation to Kragujevac came in two rounds: on the evening of October 8 from Vucic and Nikolic, and on October 9 from Vucevic.