Serbia’s president Vucic announces resignation

Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on Sunday, citing nearly two years of student-led protests that demanded snap elections. The protests were sparked by a tragic canopy collapse at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which killed 16 people and was blamed on corruption. Vucic delivered his resignation speech at the presidential palace in Belgrade, where supporters gathered outside, chanting his name.

He stated, "I am resigning as president. Tomorrow morning I will hand over my duties to the parliament speaker." The snap election was a key demand of the protest movement, which had been growing since the tragic incident, pushing for transparency and change. Vucic, who was first elected president in 2017 and re-elected in May 2022, decided to run for prime minister in October snap elections, despite the fact that the law did not require him to resign from his current position.

Prior to his resignation, Vucic pardoned dozens of people suspected of offenses during the protests, including students and his party loyalists. Minutes before his resignation, he announced that parliament speaker Ana Brnabic would serve as acting president for up to three months, during which a presidential election would be held.