The fall of the Vučić era in Serbia, Erion Veliaj’s message: Understand and respond to this generation’s expectations, student protests and “the end of a world

In a message on social media, Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj reacted to Aleksandar Vučić’s defeat in Serbia and congratulated the student movement on its political result.

Veliaj described Aleksandar Vučić as “the Machiavellian populist of Belgrade,” congratulating the students on what he called his removal from power.

“Congratulations to the students for bringing down the Machiavellian populist of Belgrade,” Veliaj wrote. In his message, published on Facebook, he said: “Student movements and protests are not ‘the end of the world,’ but the end of ‘a world.’”

Veliaj also congratulated Albanians in Serbia, who will be represented by two parliamentary seats.

“The sooner we understand this as citizens and policymakers, the better we will be able to respond to this generation’s needs and expectations. Heartfelt congratulations, too, to our Albanians in Serbia, who, according to the current projection, will increase their representation from one to two seats. A stronger voice for the rights of Albanians in Serbia!”