Serbia’s president resigns to run for prime minister
Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic has resigned as president and will lead his ruling party into a snap parliamentary election.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on Sunday in order to transition into the role of prime minister, seeking to maintain his influence in the Balkan nation. Interim President Ana Brnabic will temporarily assume the presidential position. Vucic announced that presidential elections will be held by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Serbs are set to vote in a snap election on October 25, aiming to address nearly two years of anti-government protests that escalated into a significant threat to Vucic's rule.
The Progressive Party, led by Vucic, aims to retain power, which it has held since 2012, according to polls with mixed results. Vucic's move to become prime minister mirrors Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy of transitioning to the premier's role to circumvent presidential term limits. Vucic informed Putin of his plans on Saturday, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of preventing external interference in the electoral process.
To bolster his campaign, Vucic promised to be present throughout Serbia. Vucic is confident that the Progressive Party would prevail, even though some polls remain uncertain. The Progressive Party's main challenger is the Student List, a student-led movement that aims to end Vucic's centralized control over public institutions, such as the judiciary and media, while addressing housing and healthcare concerns.
This political movement emerged following the 2024 railway station collapse in Novi Sad, which left 16 people dead and sparked outrage over allegations of corruption, incompetence, and the misuse of public funds.
Vucic, who has been a dominant political force in Serbia for more than a decade, was once a hardline nationalist during the Milošević era, serving as information minister and deputy prime minister before becoming prime minister from 2014 to 2017. Throughout his nine years as president, Serbia has strived to advance its stalled European Union membership bid while maintaining friendly relations with Russia and attracting foreign investment.
Serbia has become a vital transit point for China into Europe, with substantial investments in various industries, including mining and humanoid robotics.
Vucic has maintained contact with Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, he has struggled to improve ties with neighboring Kosovo, a crucial requirement for EU membership. Vucic emphasized that the next president must safeguard peace, national interests, and the well-being of Serbian citizens, particularly in Kosovo, and resist calls to relinquish control over the region.
Earlier, Vucic denied claims of election irregularities, including voter intimidation and ballot box tampering.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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