Tanks are rolling through the Serbian capital Belgrade in preparation for a military parade that is set for September 20. 

 

Dubbed 'The power of unity,' the parade is designed to present Serbia’s military capabilities on the occasion of a recently-established national holiday.

 

The show will take place amid deep political divisions and the biggest wave of anti-government protests in years in the Balkan country.

President Aleksandar Vucic said the parade has nothing to do with the persistent demonstrations that have shaken his tight grip on power.

 

Vucic has repeatedly branded the student protesters as “terrorists” who are working in conjunction with Western powers to remove him from office, without presenting any evidence.

 

On Friday, Vucic said that the parade was announced earlier this year and was not in any way related to daily events. 

 

“This parade is an expression of our desire to celebrate a national holiday and an expression of our desire to show how much our army has progressed," said Vucic.

 

Aleksandar Radic, a military analyst, believes Vucic’s government will use the parade as a show of force and to help boost public support.

 

Vucic's "intention actually is to show the army as a symbol of what binds people together in Serbia at the moment when there is a crisis of unity in Serbia," said Radic.

The protests first started as an anti-corruption movement after a concrete canopy at a renovated train station in Serbia’s north collapsed in November, killing 16 people and sparking allegations of graft-fueled negligence in construction.  

 

Almost daily rallies in the past more than ten months have become a direct challenge to Vucic’s heavy-handed rule, with demonstrators demanding free elections, independent judiciary and accountability for police violence.