The mother of former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was attacked by his political opponents in Belgrade on Sunday, his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has said, as the ex-leader seeks a political comeback in Sunday’s snap parliamentary election. 

Vucic is running for prime minister, with his ruling coalition polling strongly against a student-backed opposition movement.

“A group of young men... shoved Angelina Vucic, screamed at her, and tore open the bags of groceries she was carrying from the market,” SNS said in a statement on its official website, alleging that the attackers were aligned with anti-government protesters who have occupied universities and blocked roads.

The party denounced the alleged assault as an “unacceptable act of aggression, humiliation, and intimidation.”

“No one’s mother, no one’s grandmother – no woman at all – should ever be a target of violence due to political differences!” it added, demanding that police take decisive action against the attackers.

Vucic resigned on September 27 following two years of protests, saying he wanted to participate in the election as an ordinary citizen. His ruling coalition led the student-backed opposition by 47% to 40%, according to an Ipsos poll published on Thursday.

Anti-government protests followed the deadly collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in 2024, which killed 16 people and sparked allegations of corruption and safety oversight failures.

Vucic has accused foreign organizations of funding the ongoing demonstrations, alleging on Thursday that actors abroad wanted to remove him from Serbia’s political landscape.

The politician has also pledged to keep Serbia out of any future war with Russia if elected, warning that Europe is preparing for a military confrontation with Moscow.