Vucic steps down as Serbia’s president, eyes prime minister’s post in October election

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic waves to citizens outside the Presidency of Serbia moments before formally submitting his resignation.

Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic resigned on Sunday, ending his second term early and clearing the way for him to contest the October 25 snap parliamentary election as the Serbian Progressive Party’s candidate for prime minister.“I am resigning the duty of the President of the Republic,” Vucic said, reading the text of his resignation. He said he would hand over his duties to parliament speaker Ana Brnabic, who will serve as acting president.Vucic said his administration had preserved peace and stability during his nine-year tenure as he addressed supporters outside the presidential building in Belgrade. Vucic had announced his intention to resign in June and is now seeking his party’s nomination for prime minister.Vucic, who has been president or prime minister for 12 years, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third presidential term. He has said he wants to campaign as an ordinary citizen while seeking to retain political influence through the parliamentary election.The resignation comes after nearly two years of student-led protests sparked by the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people.

The protests grew into a wider movement demanding accountability and action against corruption.Vucic addressed supporters outside the presidency before signing his resignation. “Tonight is a very special occasion for me, my last evening in this beautiful building,” he said, according to the account provided by the Associated Press.“But I look to the future with joy, new victories await us,” Vucic told the crowd.

“Let’s beat them (opponents) more convincingly than ever before.”Serbia’s parliament was dissolved earlier this month and the October 25 vote formally called. The resignation also sets the stage for an early presidential election, which Serbian authorities say must be held within three months.He has publicly said he wants Serbia to join the EU while courting close ties with Russia and opening Serbia up to Chinese investment.Vucic also said he had pardoned 49 people before leaving office, including 23 linked to cases arising from the protests, according to AFP.