Serbian President Vučić Announces Resignation Amid Student Protests
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has announced he will resign within a few weeks following sustained pressure from an 18-month-long anti-government protest movement. The protests intensified nationwide after a railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad in 2024 claimed the lives of 16 people. Political analysts suggest that Vučić’s resignation is part of a strategy to leave the presidency and return to power as prime minister through upcoming parliamentary elections.
Faced with continued pressure from student-led protests that have persisted for over a year and a half, President Aleksandar Vučić declared at a major pro-government rally in the capital Belgrade that he will step down from the presidency in the coming weeks. He vowed to resign and guide the country toward mid-term presidential and parliamentary elections thereafter.
The catalyst for the escalated anti-government demonstrations was the November 2024 collapse of a roof slab at the railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, which resulted in 16 fatalities. Protesters including students, opposition parties, and civil society groups have regarded the accident as a symbol of government negligence, poor construction oversight, and systemic corruption. Previously, Vučić had dismissed protesters as “foreign agents” and refused to hold elections before 2027. However, mounting protest pressure forced him to reconsider his position.
According to Serbian election law, Vučić cannot run for president again as he is nearing the end of his second term. Nonetheless, political analysts view his resignation not as a retreat from politics but as a calculated move to retain power. Vučić plans to resign as president, install a close ally in that office, and lead his Serbian Progressive Party to victory in upcoming parliamentary elections. He aims to return as a powerful prime minister, a role he has held previously from 2014 to 2017. Vučić has proposed contesting the next election under the name “United Serbia,” and claims his party will secure an even greater number of seats.
Despite Vučić’s resignation announcement, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Kraljevo, approximately 170 kilometers south of Belgrade, vowed to continue their protests. Belgrade professor Nemanja Karović addressed the protesters, declaring that “the students are winning.” However, the demonstrators remain wary, fearing Vučić will not fully relinquish power and will continue to exert influence behind the scenes.