Vucic's statement about leaving office is a distraction, says sociologist

Sociologist Ivan Zivkov has characterized Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's recent statement about leaving office in "a few more weeks" as a calculated distraction. Zivkov believes Vucic is merely nearing the end of his final presidential term and is using the announcement to divert public attention from substantive issues towards arbitrary deadlines.

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He is in any case nearing the end of his final presidential term. He has discovered hot water. In any case, he has to move out of that office in a few months.

Speaking to N1, Zivkov downplayed the significance of Vucic's remarks made at a Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) rally on June 27. He pointed out that Vucic is constitutionally obligated to leave office within months, making the specific timeframe of "a few weeks" vague and potentially meaningless. Zivkov recalled numerous unfulfilled announcements by Vucic in the past, including a promise never to run for president, a pledge he later broke by running twice.

Zivkov also criticized Vucic's announcement of pardons as a pre-election maneuver, drawing a parallel with the earlier suspension of the Jadar lithium project before previous elections. Analyzing the SNS rally itself, Zivkov described it as a "deja vu" experience, reminiscent of state-sponsored events from decades past. He noted the presence of state broadcasters, entertainers, and the blurring of lines between ruling party and state structures.

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We have heard many announcements from him over the past year, and in previous years, which he did not fulfil. Let us remember that he said in parliament he would never run for president of Serbia, and then he ran twice.

According to Zivkov, state and public companies, along with various businesses and entertainers, were mobilized to gather supporters for Vucic's address. The rally focused on portraying Serbia as successful but facing significant battles and enemies, rather than emphasizing democratic principles, the rule of law, or peaceful power transitions. Zivkov expressed concern that the same organizational structures used for the rally would be employed on election day to mobilize voters.

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It was as if I had gone back 37 years. RTS broadcast the film Battle of Kosovo, Vesna Zmijanac sang, the line between the ruling party and state structures was erased.

In contrast, Zivkov distinguished the SNS rally from spontaneous gatherings organized by citizens and students. He labeled the former as a "state-party rally" funded by public money, potentially involving coercion and influence trading. He hoped that independent protests would offer an alternative political vision, though he lamented that even younger generations seemed focused on past national myths rather than logical, forward-looking discourse.

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Yesterday was a state-party rally organised with our money, without asking how much it cost, using blackmail, threats and influence trading. Today’s gatherings are spontaneous gatherings of people who organise of their own free will and freely express what they think.