Serbia's President Vucic announces resignation within weeks

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vučić said Saturday that he will resign within weeks, paving the way for early elections following youth-led protests that shook his tight grip on power. Vučić did not specify exactly when he would resign or when an election, either for parliament or for a new president, could be held.

The news of his planned resignation comes against the backdrop of months of student-led mass anti-government protests that have rattled the country. Tens of thousands of people have been rallying across Serbia since November 2024, when the Novi Sad railway station disaster killed 16 people and sparked mass anger at the government. The protests eventually led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Miloš Vučević in January 2025.

Vučić, who is currently serving his second term, cannot run again for president under Serbia’s election law. He has said in the past that he could leave the post amid speculation that he would try to switch to the formally more powerful position of prime minister of the Balkan country. He said he will help his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections. Regular presidential and parliamentary elections are both due next year.

Hundreds of people were detained, and Serbia’s police were accused by the European Union of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.