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Belgrade Faculty of Medicine: Crowd Endangered Safety, Disrespected Democratic Process During Elections
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Belgrade Faculty of Medicine: Crowd Endangered Safety, Disrespected Democratic Process During Elections

From N1 Serbia · (2d ago) Serbian Critical tone

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Medicine stated that Student Parliament elections met democratic standards, despite an incident involving a crowd that disrupted vote counting.
  • The faculty reported that individuals associated with a losing list gathered aggressively outside the Dean’s Office, endangering election officials and property, necessitating police intervention.
  • Three police officers were injured during the intervention, and the faculty expressed regret over the actions of those unwilling to respect the democratic process.

The University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Medicine has issued a strong statement addressing the disruptions during the recent Student Parliament elections. According to the faculty, the electoral process adhered to all democratic standards, and any claims of irregularities are unfounded or exaggerated by irresponsible individuals. The statement detailed how a crowd, incited by one of the competing lists, gathered with aggressive intent, threatening the safety of election officials and damaging property. This behavior escalated to a point where police intervention became unavoidable to protect staff and maintain order.

After the polls closed and the counting began - with representatives from both lists and members of the Election Commission present - a crowd began to gather outside the Dean’s Office building at the call of one of the competing lists.

— University of Belgrade’s Faculty of MedicineDescribing the events leading up to the disruption of the Student Parliament elections.

The faculty emphasized that the incident endangered the lives of esteemed professors and students, highlighting the severity of the 'inappropriate and unacademic behavior.' The presence of police was a direct consequence of this unruly conduct, resulting in injuries to three officers. The University expressed deep regret, placing blame squarely on those who refused to accept the democratic outcome of the elections.

From the start, they displayed a degree of aggression and a readiness for inappropriate actions that threatened the physical safety of election officials and Faculty property.

— University of Belgrade’s Faculty of MedicineDetailing the behavior of the crowd that gathered during the election count.

This situation underscores a concerning trend where political disputes, even at the student level, can devolve into disorder. While the official results declared the 'Medical Circle' the winner, the opposing group, 'Student Action for the Academic Community, Solidarity, and Action (SINAPSA),' alleged irregularities. However, the Faculty of Medicine's account prioritizes the integrity of the process and condemns the actions that undermined it, framing the incident as a deliberate attempt to obstruct democratic procedures.

Consequently, police presence was required to protect staff and property. Three police officers were injured and are currently undergoing medical evaluation.

— University of Belgrade’s Faculty of MedicineExplaining the necessity of police intervention and its consequences.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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