Belgrade. At least three lawmakers were injured Tuesday, one seriously, after chaotic scenes erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown, further fueling political tensions in the Balkan country.

Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law increasing funding for university education, but opposition parties claimed the ruling majority was also attempting to approve dozens of other decisions. They argued this was illegal and insisted that lawmakers must first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.

Chaos broke out about an hour after the session began, with opposition lawmakers blowing whistles and holding a banner reading, "Serbia has risen so the regime would fall!" Hundreds of opposition supporters gathered outside the parliament building in protest.

Videos from the assembly hall showed clashes between lawmakers as flares and smoke bombs were thrown. Serbian media reported that eggs and water bottles were also hurled.

Officials later confirmed three people were injured, including lawmaker Jasmina Obradovic, who was taken to a hospital. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic accused the opposition of acting like a "terrorist gang."

Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic condemned the incident, calling those responsible "a disgrace to Serbia."

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic visited Obradovic in the hospital. "Jasmina will win, Serbia will win," he wrote in an Instagram post, sharing an image of him holding her hand in an emergency room.

Student Protests and Political Crisis
The incident reflects Serbia’s deep political crisis, where month-long anti-corruption protests have rattled the populist government.

Vucevic resigned in January after a deadly collapse of a concrete train station canopy in northern Serbia killed 15 people. Critics blamed the disaster on widespread corruption. However, parliament has yet to officially confirm his resignation.

Increased education funding has been a key demand of Serbia’s protesting students, who have been at the forefront of near-daily street demonstrations since the Nov. 1 canopy collapse in Novi Sad.

Opposition Calls for Transitional Government
Opposition parties argue the government has no authority to pass new laws. Leftist lawmaker Radomir Lazovic said the opposition was willing to support the education funding bill but rejected other decisions listed on the agenda.

"We can only discuss the fall of the government," Lazovic said, adding that a transitional government was the only way to ensure free and fair elections—an idea the ruling party has repeatedly rejected.

Despite formally seeking European Union membership, Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have maintained a firm grip on power for over a decade. Many Serbians believe the fatal canopy collapse was the result of poor construction and a lack of safety regulations due to government corruption.

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