The statement made by President Vučić, during a televised appearance on one of Serbia’s national broadcasters just before the New Year 2025, about the existence of a “loyalist” wing within the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whose members gathered in a small church and pledged blood allegiance as “guardians of flame,” is deeply disturbing, harmful, and undermines the democratic foundations of our society. This statement has caused alarm among the citizens of our country, who rightfully question whether this is the formation of a paramilitary organization and how it shall act.
In his remarks, the President noted that he has not yet received conclusions from this gathering, whose members are described as pro-Russian and inclined toward methods he personally does not endorse. This points to a severe undermining of Serbia’s constitutional order, its European trajectory, and a direct confrontation with the Copenhagen criteria.
Democracy is unimaginable without political parties organized on democratic principles, and without fostering internal party and societal dialogue through democratic practices. Political parties and their leaders must advocate for and initiate such practices, and not propagate fear and hate speech. President Vučić’s statement about the “guardians of flame” within SNS, reportedly numbering 17,000 members, evokes memories of a dark past associated with the emergence of party-affiliated armed units in 1930s Germany.
Article 55 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia explicitly prohibits paramilitary organizations. Furthermore, Serbia, as a member of numerous international organizations and a signatory to multiple international agreements, is obliged to report on the existence or absence of paramilitary formations within its territory, including any such announced party formations, should they be established. In this context, the President’s claim that members of the “loyalist” group recently clashed with the leader of an opposition party is profoundly concerning.
We hereby remind of Serbia’s obligations under the United Nations Security Council resolutions and Council of Europe documents, particularly the stringent requirements stemming from the 1994 OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. This document sets out norms and principles to guide OSCE participating states in their internal and international affairs, as well as politico-military affairs. It is the first multilateral instrument containing principles and norms on the regulation of military and security forces at national and international levels. This document mandates obliges participating state to ensure civilian control over military and security services, transparency in defense spending, and, crucially, that these forces remain politically neutral. These obligations include reporting on the existence or absence of paramilitary formations.
Without delving into the motives behind President Vučić’s statement, we believe that such remarks about the existence of “guardians of flame”, which are gathering in some small church and pledging blood allegiance, are extremely damaging to the sense of security of Serbian
citizens, as well as to Serbia’s international reputation—which is already marred by a history of paramilitary formations in recent history—and above all to the cultivation and maintenance of tolerance and political dialogue within the country, despite existing differences. It is the constitutional duty of the President to advocate for strengthening cohesion, and not to deepen divisions and incite conflicts within our society.
