Vucic will – Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic told supporters in Belgrade on Saturday that he will resign within weeks, opening the door to early elections after months of pressure from youth-led protests. He did not give a specific resignation date, and the ti
BELGRADE — When Aleksandar Vucic stepped before thousands of supporters in downtown Belgrade, he did more than make a promise. He framed it as the end of an era, saying it would likely be the last time he addresses them as Serbia’s president.
“I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation,” Vucic told the crowd on Saturday, adding that he would help his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party at upcoming elections.
He did not specify exactly when he would resign. nor did he say when an election could be held—either for Parliament or for a new president. Serbia’s regular elections are due next year. and under the country’s election law. Vucic cannot run again for president because he is currently serving his second term.
The president has previously suggested he could leave the presidential post amid speculation that he might seek to move into the formally more powerful role of prime minister.
For more than a year, university students and other protesters have demanded early parliamentary elections after youth-led demonstrations shook what they described as Vucic’s tight grip on power. Vucic, however, has so far refrained from setting a date for early voting.
His message comes after years of gradual tightening since his populist party took over the Serbian government 14 years ago, a pattern that opponents say has brought Serbia closer to rule that feels less responsive and more constrained.
The protests intensified after a train station accident in the country’s north in November 2024. The tragedy killed 16 people and sparked months of mass demonstrations demanding accountability.
Vucic has pushed back hard against the protesters. He has also faced European Union criticism over Serbia’s democratic backsliding, including a media clampdown. Hundreds of people have been detained, and Serbia’s police have been accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
Anti-government protesters say the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station reflected corruption-fueled negligence in major state infrastructure projects.
With Vucic signaling that he intends to step down within weeks—but without committing to an election schedule—the pressure that fueled the protests is now colliding with the uncertainty that follows political transitions. His resignation talk is immediate, but the political calendar he is trying to set still isn’t.
Aleksandar Vucic Serbia resign within weeks early elections youth-led protests Belgrade Serbian Progressive Party Novi Sad railway station train station accident democratic backsliding European Union criticism