BELGRADE — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared Saturday that he intends to leave office within weeks, triggering early presidential and parliamentary elections in the country.
The populist leader made his announcement against the backdrop of approximately a year and a half of widespread anti-corruption protests led by students. Those demonstrations were sparked by the collapse of an awning at a railway station in Novi Sad, a city in northern Serbia, which claimed the lives of 16 people.
Just days before Vucic’s announcement, students gathered in Novi Sad to mark the 2024 deaths and call for snap general elections.
Speaking to supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital city of Belgrade, Vucic stated, “I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign.” His second and final term in office was not set to expire until mid-2027.
Vucic indicated he intends to assist his Serbian Progressive Party in winning the upcoming elections, which include the early parliamentary vote that had originally been scheduled for 2027. However, he stopped short of providing a specific date for his resignation or clarifying when he might dissolve parliament — a necessary step before early parliamentary elections can be held.
Opposition groups, protesters, and human rights organizations have argued that the railway station disaster was evidence of widespread government mismanagement of construction projects and deep-rooted corruption. Activists from the student-led movement say they plan to challenge Vucic and his party in both the upcoming presidential and parliamentary races.
