Protesters are accusing President Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling party of fraud and demanding the annulment of the December 17 election.

Thousands of people have gathered in the Serbian capital for the largest protest yet against this month’s parliamentary and local elections. They accused President Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling party of orchestrating a fraud and called for the results to be annulled.

The large rally in the center of Belgrade on Saturday almost ended Two weeks of street protests against reported widespread irregularities during the December 17 vote, which were also noted by international observers.

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) was declared the election winner with 46.72 percent of the vote, according to the preliminary results of the State Election Commission.

But the main opposition alliance, Serbia Against Violence, claims the election was stolen, particularly in the election for Belgrade city council.

Demonstrators waved Serbian flags and held a banner reading “We do not accept” to cheer Marinika Tepic, a leader of the Serbia Against Violence alliance who has been on hunger strike since December 18.

“These elections must be annulled,” a frail-looking Tepic, who came to the stage with the help of two colleagues, told protesters gathered outside the landmark Moskva Hotel.

Tepic’s health was reportedly at risk and she was expected to be hospitalized following her appearance at the rally.

Serbia Against Violence has been leading daily protests since December 17, demanding a repeat vote. Tensions have increased following violent incidents and arrests of opposition supporters at a protest rally last weekend.

The protest was supported by student organizations and an initiative called ProGlas, or “Pro Vote,” which brought together public figures, including prominent intellectuals and actors.

Serbia Against Violence came second in the election with 23.56 percent of the vote. The Socialist Party of Serbia came third with 6.56 percent.

Another opposition politician, Radomir Lazovic, called on the international community “not to remain silent” and set up a commission to investigate the irregularities and pressure the authorities to hold a new election that is free and fair.

After the speeches, participants marched past the headquarters of the State Election Commission to the Serbian Constitutional Court, which will ultimately decide on election complaints.

“Manipulating the will of the people”

A protester from Belgrade, Rajko Dimitrijevic, told the Associated Press that he came to the rally because he felt “humiliation” and “influencing the will of the people.”

Ivana Grobic, also from Belgrade, said she has always joined the protests “because I want a better life, I want the institutions of this country to do their job.”

The opposition has called for an international investigation into the vote after representatives from several global regulators reported several irregularities, including cases of vote buying and ballot box stuffing.

Local election observers also claimed that voters from across Serbia and neighboring countries were registered and bussed to Belgrade to vote.

Vucic and his party have rejected the reports as “made up”.

Saturday’s gathering took place symbolically at a central location in Belgrade, which was the scene of demonstrations against the warmongering and undemocratic policies of ruler Slobodan Milosevic in the early 1990s.

Today’s critics say that since coming to power in 2012, Vucic, who was an ultranationalist ally of Milosevic in the 1990s, has restored that autocracy in Serbia by taking full control of the media and all state institutions.

Vucic said the elections were fair and his party won. He accused the opposition of inciting violence during protests with the aim of overthrowing the government on instructions from abroad, something opposition leaders have denied.

Serbia is officially seeking European Union membership, but the Balkan country has close ties with Moscow and refuses to join Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian officials have pledged their full support to Vucic in cracking down on the protesters and backed his claims that the vote was free and fair.