Serbian President Vucic to Resign, Call Early Elections Amid Mass Protests

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced Saturday evening that he will step down and new elections will be held within weeks. This move appears to be a concession to the main demand of demonstrators who have protested his government en masse for over 18 months.

Tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of protesters had blocked intersections and highways and gathered at government buildings, facing harsh police responses. The unrest began after a tragic accident in late 2024 when a 48-meter concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing sixteen people. Protest leaders, including students, viewed the accident as a symbol of corruption and inadequate government oversight.

Although the previous prime minister, Milos Vucevic, and the entire government resigned last year, the demonstrations persisted. The new cabinet largely consisted of ministers who had served in the previous government. President Vucic's term was set to end in about a year, and as it was his second term, he was constitutionally barred from running in the next presidential election. In 2025, after a major demonstration, he had defiantly stated that protesters would have to kill him to remove him from the presidential residence.

Vucic's conservative Serbian Progressive Party has been in power since 2012. The ongoing protests highlight deep public dissatisfaction and a demand for accountability and change within the country's political leadership.