{
  "id": 6426178,
  "title": "Serbian leader calls snap elections after dissolving country’s parliament",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/serbian-leader-calls-snap-elections-after-dissolving-countrys",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T14:06:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/serbia-leader-aleksandar-vucic-calls-snap-elections-after-dissolving-countrys-parliament/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has dissolved the country's parliament and declared snap elections for the end of October, aiming to gain control over the tense political climate. Vučić expressed confidence that Serbian citizens would choose the right path forward and emphasized preserving the democratic system and avoiding divisions as his main priorities. The elections are set to occur on October 25, according to Serbian media reports. Acknowledging societal unrest, Vučić attributed the student-led anti-corruption protests to \"significant interference by foreign powers,\" which have exacerbated the political turmoil over the past two years. The protests began following a railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November 2024, resulting in 16 deaths and sparking demands for accountability and early parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Đuro Macut recently requested Vučić to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections, arguing that early polls would help alleviate tensions. Despite facing calls for his resignation since the 2023 parliamentary elections due to allegations of electoral fraud, Vučić remains committed to his second and final term as president, set to conclude in 2027. He has maintained that his powers will not end with the parliamentary dissolution. In June, Vučić announced his intention to resign as president \"within weeks,\" but his desire to retain power continues. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has nominated him as prime minister if the party wins a majority in the snap election. Serbia has been an EU membership candidate since 2012, but its progress has been hindered by concerns about democratic regression in Belgrade and its refusal to sanction Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.",
  "summary": "“I am convinced that the citizens of Serbia will choose the right path into the future,” Aleksandar Vučić said Wednesday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}