Serbian President Vucic to resign within weeks and call early elections

Serbian President Vucic to resign within weeks and call early elections

Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Saturday, June 27, 2026, that he will resign his post within weeks. The move paves the way for early presidential and parliamentary elections following a prolonged period of youth-led protests against his administration.

Speaking to thousands of supporters at a rally for the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in downtown Belgrade, Vucic stated, I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation. He noted that the event was likely the final time he would address the crowd as the country's president.

Vucic did not provide a specific date for his resignation or the subsequent elections. He has previously mentioned the possibility of leaving the presidency, and there is speculation he may seek the formally more powerful role of prime minister. Under Serbian election law, Vucic is currently serving his second term and is ineligible to run for president again.

The decision comes amid intense pressure from university students and opposition groups who have spent more than a year demanding early parliamentary elections. The unrest was triggered in November 2024 by a disaster at a railway station in Novi Sad, where a concrete canopy collapsed and killed 16 people. Protesters allege the tragedy was the result of corruption-fueled negligence regarding large state infrastructure projects.

The student-led movement and opposition parties have accused Vucic and his allies of stifling media freedoms, maintaining ties with organized crime, and engaging in rampant corruption. These groups have vowed to challenge Vucic and the SNS in the upcoming votes.

Vucic, however, expressed confidence in his party's future. He told the Belgrade crowd, We will win more convincingly than ever before, pledging to help the SNS during the early election cycle.

The protests have been characterized by periods of violence. According to reports, hundreds of people have been detained, and Serbian police have faced accusations of arbitrary arrests and the use of excessive force. These actions, along with a media clampdown, have drawn criticism from the European Union regarding democratic backsliding in Serbia.

The political instability arrives as Serbia remains a candidate for EU membership. To join the bloc, Belgrade must improve its rule of law, ensure conditions for free and fair elections, and root out organized crime and corruption. The EU also requires Serbia to align its foreign policy with the bloc, which includes implementing sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Opposition leaders suggest the resignation is a strategic move. Savo Manojlovic, head of the student opposition Move-Change Movement, said:

"By resigning and with early presidential and parliamentary elections Vucic is trying to preempt his inevitable fall, because of protests and because of the student movement which has more support than he does."

Savo Manojlovic, head of Move-Change Movement, via Strait Times

While regular presidential and parliamentary elections were originally set for 2027, the current timeline remains fluid. Vucic has not yet specified when he will dissolve Parliament, which is a required precondition for early parliamentary elections.

Protests continue across the country. Following commemorations for the Novi Sad victims, another student rally is scheduled for Sunday, June 28, 2026, in the south-eastern town of Kraljevo.