(ANSA-AFP) - ROMA, 09 LUG - The Serbian capital was hit by clashes for a second night on Wednesday as police skirmished with protesters outraged over the government's handling of coronavirus pandemic. Clouds of tear gas and smoke filled the city centre in chaotic scenes that mirrored violence the night before, when thousands came out to protest the return of a round-the-clock weekend lockdown. Although President Aleksandar Vucic said Wednesday that the curfew is likely to be scrapped, several thousand people again gathered in front of the parliament to protest. Their anger is focused on the powerful president, who critics accuse of inviting a second wave of coronavirus infections by rapidly lifting initial lockdown measures before an election in June. "The government only seeks to protect its own interests, the people are collateral damage," said Jelina Jankovic, a 53-year-old who attended the rally, which brought together citizens from the left to the far-right.

Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won the June poll by a landslide in a vote boycotted by the main opposition. Since then, coronavirus infections have shot up to more than 300 daily, overwhelming hospitals. (ANSA-AFP).