At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday after chaos erupted in Serbia's parliament, with smoke bombs and flares being thrown.
Politicians were due to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties insisted the session was illegal and must first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.
Parliamentary chaos erupted about an hour into the session, with the opposition blowing whistles and holding a banner reading “Serbia rises to bring down the regime!”
Video footage from the courtroom first showed a clash between politicians, then flares and smoke bombs being thrown. Serbian media reported that eggs and water bottles were also thrown. Officials later said three people were injured in the unrest, including MP Jasmina Obradovic, who was taken to hospital.
Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic accused the opposition of being a “terrorist gang.” She said one of the wounded politicians was in serious condition.
The incident reflects a deep political crisis in the Balkan country, where months of anti-corruption protests have unsettled the populist government.
Mr Vucevic resigned in January as authorities faced mounting protests over the collapse of a concrete shelter in northern Serbia in November that killed 15 people and which critics linked to rampant corruption.
For the prime minister's resignation to take effect, parliament must approve it.
Opposition parties insist that the government does not have the authority to pass new laws.
Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic called the organizers of the incident “a disgrace for Serbia.”
“The vandalism of opposition MPs has revealed the nature of their personalities and the essence of their political agenda,” Mr Gasic said.
Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic visited Ms Obradovic in hospital.
“Jasmina will win, Serbia will win,” Mr Vucic wrote in an Instagram post showing him holding the politician's hand in an emergency room.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
