Groups of men dressed in black left Pionirski Park in Belgrade, known as Ćacilend, shortly after Aleksandar Vučić announced the electoral defeat of his party in the snap parliamentary elections. Some of the men were wearing hoodies and balaclavas, and according to a report by N1 Serbia, they began to leave after Vučić's announcement. Footage of their arrival in the park was published by the portal Nova.rs.
Earlier in the election evening, the men had begun gathering in the park in front of the building of the Presidency of Serbia. Dozens of men dressed in black, with hoodies and surgical masks, arrived, gathering in groups of five or six. A group of around 50 men in black was also recorded, some of whom were carrying bags. Groups of men were seen in the park setting up tents, and equipment was being brought in by trucks. There is no official information on who these men are, why they gathered, or what is in the bags.
Tents and accompanying installations were again being set up in Pionirski Park, and the park remained fenced off. Members of the Gendarmerie were deployed within the park itself, and public lighting was switched off in that part of the city. Galeb Nikačević, host of the Agelast podcast, was struck at the park entrance. In front of the park, towards Nikola Pašić Square, several news crews with cameras were present.
Vučić acknowledged the defeat of his party and stated that, according to the stratified samples so far, they won around 1.72 million votes, while the student list won around 2.2 million. He also noted that the Progressives would have around 105 MPs, while the student list would have around 136. He called the winner a "bastard" and had previously stated that he would accept any results and that it would be seen "whether I will be in opposition or in power".
On the streets of Belgrade immediately before the polling stations closed, everything was full of police. N1 reported that several special police vehicles intended for breaking up protests and pushing people back were seen in the centre of Belgrade. A large number of Gendarmerie vehicles brought members of that unit in full riot gear to the previously fenced area in front of the Republic Electoral Commission, which overlooks Pionirski Park. Buses full of Gendarmerie members entered the buildings of the Serbian Assembly and the Old Court, and police forces were reinforced throughout the centre of Belgrade, especially in front of the RIK building.
Police set up cordon lines and protective fences at certain locations in the city centre, which temporarily hindered news crews' access to the RIK building. It is estimated that nearly 68 per cent of voters had voted by 19:00, and analysts believe that such a high turnout favours the Student List. A group of men dressed in dark clothing and mostly with hoodies moved towards Pionirski Park less than an hour before the polling stations closed, and a group of men in dark clothing moving towards the park was filmed at Nikola Pašić Square. Another group of men with hoodies was gathering in the Ušće area, and the gathered individuals were moving towards the building of the Presidency of Serbia, where members of the Police Brigade of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia were present. A large number of cars and buses were parked near the Old Court.
