Serbian President Vucic Announces Resignation and Early Elections

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Saturday that he will resign within a few weeks and called for early presidential and parliamentary elections.

This announcement comes about a year and a half after anti-corruption protests led by students spread across the country following the collapse of a railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people.

In recent days, students in Novi Sad organized events to commemorate those who died in the 2024 incident and demanded early general elections.

Addressing his supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade, Vucic stated, "I will remain president for only a few more weeks, then I will resign." His second and final term is set to end in mid-2027.

Vucic added that he would assist his party, the Serbian Progressive Party, in winning the elections, including the early parliamentary elections originally scheduled for 2027.

He did not specify the exact timing of his resignation or when he might dissolve parliament, which is a prerequisite for holding early parliamentary elections.

Protesters, opposition groups, and human rights organizations view the railway station disaster as a sign of the government's poor management of construction projects and widespread corruption.

Student-led activists have expressed their intention to challenge Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.