The opposition rejected the invitation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vuçiq for a consultative referendum that would test the trust of voters, which they see as an attempt to divert attention from the protests and mass action of students who have been blocking about 60 faculties for more than a month.

Vuçiq yesterday called on the opposition to demand the holding of a so-called advisory referendum on the confidence he has as head of state. The call of Vuçiq Today, the head of the representative group of the Serbian Progressive Party, Milenko Jovanov, and the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, have also reiterated this.

The call followed a public opinion poll by the CRTA organization, according to which 61 percent of Serbian citizens support the student protests and blockades, which began after the deaths of 15 people from the collapse of a tent at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, and attacks by thugs and provocateurs on participants of those protests.

Vuçiq sees the student protests and the growing public support they have as "political pressure where someone does not want elections, but to come to power by force," and attributes the survey results to foreign influence.

But, opposition leaders said - less than 24 hours after the call Vuçiq - that they "will not participate in his game and farce" and that by imposing the referendum topic, he is trying to divert public attention from the protests, which are receiving increasingly massive support.

The opposition said that the only solution to the current crisis is a transitional government, which with international support would ensure conditions for fair and democratic elections, but Vuçiq I reject this possibility.

The students, whose main message is that they want to fight corruption by exerting pressure on institutions and for a free society, are calling for a general strike in protest.

Program Director of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) Rasha Nedelkov said that the survey showed how many citizens support the student protests and blockades demanding that institutions start doing their job.

She said that 60 percent of citizens support the protests and that it is worrying that 70 percent of people believe that this is a serious social crisis, while 60 percent of them believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction.

"This means that even for voters who gave their support to some of the authorities in the elections, the tragedy in Novi Sad led to the deepest feelings of concern and fear. This is a circumstance that society and above all institutions must understand," said Nedelkov.