Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic announces resignation

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on Sunday, signaling his intention to run for prime minister in upcoming snap elections. The decision followed nearly two years of intense student-led protests demanding such a vote. Vucic addressed supporters outside the presidential palace in Belgrade, stating he would transfer his responsibilities to the parliament speaker the following morning.

The snap election emerged as a major demand of the protests sparked by a catastrophic canopy collapse at a railway station in November 2024, claiming 16 lives and fueling widespread resentment over alleged corruption. Initially, calls for transparency led to a broader movement for snap elections, which Vucic had previously dismissed but ultimately agreed to a vote on October 25 amid mounting domestic political unrest.

Vucic, first elected president in 2017 and re-elected in May 2022, decided to run as an ordinary citizen rather than serve out his full five-year term. In a constitutional move, he pardoned dozens of individuals, including students and party supporters, implicated in the protests. Upon his resignation, parliament speaker Ana Brnabic assumed temporary presidential duties, paving the way for a presidential election within three months.