Serbia’s President Resigns To Seek Premiership Amid Political Turmoil

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BELGRADE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A political storm is looming over Serbia after President Aleksandar Vučić resigned amid massive protests over alleged corruption and concerns about pressure on independent media and political opponents.

Vučić stepped down Sunday, seven months before the end of his second and final presidential term, saying he wanted to lead his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) into snap parliamentary elections on October 25 and seek the more powerful post of prime minister.

Serbia’s constitution barred the 56-year-old Vučić from seeking a third presidential term. He has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, serving as either prime minister or president since 2014.

His governing populists now face perhaps their most significant electoral challenge from a youth-backed movement that emerged from nearly two years of protests following the November 1, 2024, collapse of a railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people.

DEADLY STATION COLLAPSE

University students initially demanded accountability for the disaster, but their campaign grew into a broader movement against alleged corruption and for the rule of law.

The protests have shaken Vučić’s government, with demonstrators accusing authorities of corruption, excessive police force and weakening democratic institutions. Serbian authorities have rejected allegations of authoritarian rule and wrongdoing.

“The hour of decision has come,” Vučić said as he began his televised resignation address. “History teaches us that progress is never achieved by chance, but through difficult choices, responsibility before one’s own conscience and determination to move forward.”

He then formally announced his departure and signed the resignation document before cameras. “I am resigning the office of the President of the Republic,” Vučić said while reading from the document.

HIGH-STAKES ELECTION

Before signing his resignation, Vučić also addressed hundreds of supporters outside the presidential building in Belgrade, describing it as his final evening there.

“But I look to the future with joy, new victories await us,” he told supporters, who chanted his name. “Let’s beat them [our opponents] more convincingly than ever before.”

Vučić told the nation that he was grateful to voters who had twice entrusted him with the presidency, saying the office should be won “honestly and democratically” through direct elections. He acknowledged making mistakes but said he had worked hard and served Serbia “faithfully, honorably and honestly.”

The October election comes amid heightened political tensions as Vučić seeks to return to the premiership and keep his SNS in power.

CAMPAIGNING ACROSS SERBIA

In recent weeks, Vučić has toured Serbia extensively, opening roads, announcing financial assistance and cheaper medicines, and visiting voters as pro-government media provided extensive coverage of his activities.

Although Serbia’s presidency is largely ceremonial and the prime minister formally holds greater executive power, Vučić remained the country’s dominant political figure throughout his presidency.

The independent Bureau for Social Research, known as BIRODI, has accused Vučić of using his presidential office and state institutions to promote his party. Vučić has rejected the allegation.

Rights groups and opposition activists have also accused Vučić and his allies of increasingly authoritarian rule, while protesters say police have beaten and unfairly detained demonstrators. Authorities deny those allegations.

NEW PRESIDENTIAL VOTE

Following Vučić’s resignation, his close ally and former prime minister Ana Brnabić, the outgoing speaker of Serbia’s 250-seat parliament, becomes acting president.

A presidential election must be completed within 90 days. Vučić said he expected its first round before the end of December.

The parliamentary election will pit Vučić’s SNS and its allies against the Students Win movement and a pro-European opposition alliance, among others.

The student-supported list includes experts, professors, teachers, athletes and other candidates from outside Serbia’s traditional political establishment. Student groups have also cycled across the country while campaigning for the rule of law and against corruption.

PARDONS BEFORE DEPARTURE

Before leaving office, Vučić also pardoned or granted amnesty to 49 people, including 23 people connected to the political unrest of the past year and a half. Reuters reported that they included 12 activists and 11 of his supporters who had been arrested or tried in connection with the protests.

Vučić said that despite difficult periods during his presidency, Serbia had preserved peace and stability and strengthened its economy. He also accused his opponents of trying to destroy what his governments had built.

The protests have at times been met by police force and arrests. Vučić has accused opponents and critical media, without publicly providing evidence, of seeking to destabilize Serbia with unspecified foreign support.

He also told Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS that foreign powers and unidentified people inside Serbia were planning unrest on election night.

EU MEMBERSHIP STALLED

As tensions escalate, Serbia’s long-running effort to join the European Union has stalled amid concerns over democratic standards and Belgrade’s refusal to join Western sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Vučić has sought to balance Serbia’s EU aspirations with close relations with Russia and China. Russia remains Serbia’s main natural-gas supplier, while China has become a major investor in the Balkan nation.

The October 25 election will be a crucial test of whether Vučić can maintain his dominant role in Serbian politics after giving up the presidency.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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