Three Protests in Three Days, Vučić Counts Citizens: Are the Numbers Truly Amusing?

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić appears preoccupied with counting participants at recent student protests, consistently characterizing the turnout as "ridiculously small." Over three days, students organized demonstrations in Vrbas, Novi Sad, and Valjevo, events that the president has closely monitored and commented on with apparent satisfaction regarding the low numbers.

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I am satisfied that yesterday there were very few people in Novi Sad, so few that even the organizers were surprised, along with all the passers-by, there were 1,148, if I'm not mistaken...

Government-aligned media outlets have echoed this sentiment, reporting figures such as 1,148 attendees in Novi Sad and 927 in Valjevo. Dragan J. Vučićević, editor-in-chief of TV Informer, cited a police report suggesting around 3,500 people at the peak of the Valjevo protest, but still deemed it "ridiculously small" compared to opposition expectations. This focus on numbers, however, raises questions about its true significance and whether it serves as a prelude to early elections.

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There were even fewer in Valjevo, if the regime media, which counts like this with dot software, is not mistaken. At 7 p.m., there were 927 counted by head, including random passers-by. The police statement says there were about 3,500 at the peak of the protest. But even if there were that many, it's ridiculously small compared to what they announced.

Pavle Grbović, president of the Free Citizens Movement (PSG), suggested that the number of people at the protests indicates that enthusiasm for justice and truth on the streets has not waned, especially when compared to the crowds Vučić can mobilize for his own events. He implied that Vučić's statements might inadvertently motivate the opposition more effectively than his own rallies, which feature food and entertainment.

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The number of people at the protests shows that neither the weather nor the passage of time has led to a complete decline in the enthusiasm of people fighting for justice and truth on the streets, and on the other hand, it shows, when we compare it to the number of people Vučić manages to gather at his tent parties, that he actually motivates the opposition side better with his statements than he does with pigs, oxen, and singers at his tent parties.

Opposition figures, including Srđan Milivojević, president of the Democratic Party, have used images from the Valjevo protest to argue that the turnout was significant, potentially the largest in Serbia outside Belgrade and Novi Sad. Milivojević implied that these numbers explain why Vučić hesitates to call elections. Citizens interviewed expressed skepticism about Vučić's statements regarding election timing, with many believing he fears losing if elections were held soon.

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It is difficult to believe his statements.