Serbian leaders launch dueling hunger strikes

Bloomberg

Serbian politicians launched dueling hunger strikes after a protest over next month’s parliamentary elections turned
violent.
The Balkan state’s biggest opposition parties have vowed to boycott the June 21 vote, accusing President Aleksandar Vucic of muzzling media and wielding state institutions to prevent free elections. Tens of thousands
of Serbs have held months
of demonstrations, including nightly noise protests from
balconies in one of Europe’s strictest virus lockdown regimes.
Bosko Obradovic, the leader of the right-wing opposition Dveri party, began his hunger strike after police arrested
15 of his supporters when they scuffled with ruling-party lawmakers outside of parliament. He demanded that Vucic begin a dialog on the freedom of speech and fair campaign conditions.
“I’m asking for something quite reasonable and constructive — dialog between the authorities and opposition,” Obradovic told reporters.
Opposition parties have effectively stopped campaigning under Serbia’s coronavirus lockdown.