Serbia: Protests Continue After Vucic Says He Will Step Down

Thousands of protesters rallied in central Serbia on Sunday, a day after President Aleksandar Vucic declared he would step down within weeks. This announcement followed more than a year of student-led protests that have gripped the nation.

"The students are winning," Nemanja Karovic, a Belgrade professor supporting the movement, told the crowd in Kraljevo. Anti-government protests, largely driven by students, have become a regular feature in Serbia since a tragic railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November 2024. The incident, which claimed 16 lives, has been widely attributed to systemic corruption and broader government mismanagement of construction projects.

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The students are winning.

President Vucic, who has previously dismissed protesters as "foreign agents" aiming to destabilize the government, had rejected calls for early elections before his term officially ends in 2027. However, on Saturday, he surprised many by stating at a pro-government rally in Belgrade that he would serve as president "for only a couple more weeks" before resigning.

While Vucic's current presidential term is his second and final one under Serbian election law, speculation is rife that he intends to return to power. Observers expect him to seek the position of prime minister, a role he previously held from 2014 to 2017. Despite the constitutional limitations on the president's role, Vucic has maintained significant influence over his ruling Serbian Progressive Party and the government.

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And then I will resign.