Independent candidate Juraj Cervenak won a decisive victory in the election for president of Matica Slovacka in Serbia, held in Backi Petrovac. Cervenak secured 31 delegate votes, while SNS-backed candidate Jasna Kohutova received only 19.
His win came despite reported pressure from the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on delegates and their families. The alleged intimidation led to protests by Slovaks from various towns and villages, who gathered outside the Slovak National Theater, where the vote was taking place.
According to witnesses, unknown men—who were neither residents of Backi Petrovac nor of Slovak ethnicity—attempted to block citizens from entering the building and exercising their voting rights. In several instances, these men physically confronted voters, while police reportedly failed to intervene.
Despite the tensions, Cervenak’s victory was celebrated by supporters as a win for democratic choice and independence from political influence within Serbia’s Slovak minority community.
