Serbia's Interior Ministry has estimated that 110,000 people attended a ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) election rally in Novi Sad, a figure almost seven times higher than the 16,500 reported by an independent organisation monitoring public gatherings.
Oglas
The Public Assemblies Archive published its assessment on Saturday, October 17, following the rally held the previous evening in support of the electoral list "Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia".
The organisation said its estimate was based on an analysis of the area occupied by participants and crowd density across different sections of the gathering.
The assessment was made using footage recorded at 6:23 p.m. on Friday.
Serbia's Interior Ministry, meanwhile, said approximately 110,000 people had attended the rally.
The difference between the two estimates amounts to 93,500 people.
The independent organisation's estimate was based on the number of people visible at a particular moment, rather than a count of everyone who may have attended throughout the event. The available information does not establish whether the police used a comparable methodology.
First major SNS rally in Novi Sad since deadly station collapse
Friday's gathering was the first SNS rally in Novi Sad since the collapse of a railway station canopy on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people and triggered widespread anti-government demonstrations.
The disaster became a central issue in Serbia's political crisis, prompting student-led protests and demands for accountability.
Speaking to supporters at the rally, Vucic accused foreign actors of exploiting the tragedy to destabilise Serbia.
He alleged that people abroad had directed efforts to use the disaster as a political opportunity, describing it as a "black swan" event.
"Some people abroad were directing the entire operation," Vucic told supporters.
He also claimed that substantial foreign funding had been directed towards undermining Serbia.
"A great deal of money came from abroad, billions of euros, to destroy Serbia. They resent Serbia because it is freedom-loving and independent," he said.
Vucic did not provide evidence for those allegations in the remarks reported by N1 Belgrade.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also attended the rally and was the only speaker alongside Vucic.
The gathering took place just over a week before Serbia's October 25 parliamentary election, in which Vucic is seeking to return to government as prime minister.
The sharply conflicting crowd estimates have added another point of contention to an election campaign taking place amid prolonged political tensions and disputes over the government's handling of the Novi Sad tragedy.
Teme