28 September :Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has resigned following more than a year of anti-government protests, opening the way for an early presidential election and ushering in a new phase of political uncertainty in the country.
According to the BBC, Serbia is expected to hold an early parliamentary election in October, followed by a presidential vote. The country could therefore go to the polls twice before the end of the year.
Vucic, however, has indicated that he intends to remain active in politics after leaving the presidency. He has said he plans to contest the parliamentary election under his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and seek the position of prime minister. Under Serbia’s constitution, he is not eligible to serve a third term as president.
In a farewell address to supporters outside the presidential palace in Belgrade, Vucic reflected on his nearly nine years in office, saying his government had succeeded in maintaining peace and stability in the country. He had previously expressed his intention to step down from the presidency in June.
Opposition groups have for years accused Vucic’s government of irregularities and corruption. Public anger intensified after the roof of a railway station in Novi Sad collapsed in 2024, killing 16 people. What began as a student-led protest later expanded to include teachers, workers, farmers and other sections of society.
Protesters have argued that the station disaster exposed wider irregularities during more than a decade of rule by Vucic’s Progressive Party. The station had been presented as a symbol of Serbia’s development and progress after renovation work was completed. Questions over Vucic’s close association with the renovation project subsequently became part of the protesters’ concerns.
Several senior government officials resigned under pressure from the demonstrations, but the protests continued. Tensions escalated further after allegations that police had used excessive force against demonstrators.
Under Serbia’s constitution, a new presidential election must be held within three months of a president’s resignation. Vucic has said the presidential election will take place more than a month after the early parliamentary vote. Until a new president takes office, parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic will serve as acting head of state.
Meanwhile, according to Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS, Vucic has used his constitutional powers to pardon 49 people, including 23 students and several individuals close to his party. They had faced charges related to various incidents linked to the country’s unrest over the past 18 months, the broadcaster reported.
In the upcoming election, Vucic’s Progressive Party is expected to face the student-led anti-corruption platform Students Win and the pro-Western opposition coalition European Serbia.
Vucic has been a dominant figure in Serbian politics for more than a decade. He became prime minister in 2014 and was elected president three years later. While supporting Serbia’s membership of the European Union, his foreign and economic policies have also been characterised by maintaining close ties with Russia and attracting Chinese investment.