The protest kicked off around noon local time (1100 GMT) and local journalists estimated there were some 70,000 people in front of the Serbian parliament in central Belgrade. Police estimates put the figure at 55,000.
Police said they feared that groups of right-wing football hooligans would try to provoke clashes but everything was calm in the early afternoon.
The rally was called by the opposition Serbian Progress Party (SNS), a populist nationalist party, which is hoping to cash in on popular discontent over worsening living conditions and rising prices and force early elections.
Parliamentary elections are next scheduled in May 2012.
Many protesters came from Serbia`s legions of the older unemployed.
"It`s our misery that brings us here. We want change, elections, we want things to be better for us," 53-year-old Andjelka Gvero told AFP.
Nada, an out of work saleswoman from Novi Sad who would not give her last name, said she felt abandoned by the current pro-European government.
"Nobody takes care of us, the citizens. Our businesses go bankrupt, we are unemployed. Any change is good," she said.
In the crowd people brandished signs that said : "Game over. Tadic time 2 go. Elections now," referring to President Boris Tadic, and "No more government lies, wake up".
Hundreds of anti-riot police were deployed throughout the centre of the capital protecting strategic locations like the national television building and the US embassy.
Belgrade`s chief of police Stevan Bjelic told radion B92 Saturday ahead of the protest that police had information that between 1,500 and 2,000 hooligans affiliated with Belgrade football clubs planned to cause riots.
He called on them to stay away, warning that the police would step in if they caused unrest. Opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic has also called for a peaceful demonstration.
Some 4,200 police officers are deployed to monitor the rally and the SNS also has its own security services .
Last October football hooligans protesting the first Gay Pride parade in Serbia in almost ten years clashed violently with police. The riots left 150 people injured, mainly people officers, and caused millions of euros (dollars) in damage.
Serbia was hard hit by the global economic crisis and is still struggling with high inflation and unemployment fuelling social unrest.
According to official figures, the inflation rate reached 10.3 percent in 2010, one of the highest in Europe. The average monthly salary was around 390 euros (535 dollars) in December.
However economist warn that figure is skewed by high salaries in the big cities and that a majority of the 7.5 million population lives on a monthly income of between 80 and 120 euros.
The government in January decided to raise prices on controlled items like oil, sugar, flour, coffee, milk, fuel, meat, heating and public transport, adding to popular discontent. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
