Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic says he will resign within weeks

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced Saturday he will step down within weeks, a move that will trigger early presidential and parliamentary elections. The announcement came at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade, where Vucic told supporters, "I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign." He expressed confidence in his party's victory, stating, "We will win more convincingly than ever before," and suggested this might be his last address to them as president.

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I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign.

Vucic's decision follows months of mass antigovernment protests that have shaken his presidency. These demonstrations, involving tens of thousands of people, began in November 2024 after the Novi Sad rail station disaster killed 16 people. The protests led to hundreds of detentions, with the European Union accusing Serbia's police of excessive force and arbitrary arrests. The unrest previously resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in January 2025.

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We will win more convincingly than ever before.

Despite the protests, Vucic, who has held significant power for over a decade, has consistently framed the demonstrators as "foreign agents" aiming to destabilize the government. In response to Vucic's rally, student organizers plan their own gathering on Sunday in Kraljevo, central Serbia, to promote national unity and reiterate calls for early elections.

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I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign.