Serbia’s president has stepped down following over a year of student-led protests and mounting public anger over alleged government corruption.
Aleksandar Vučić told supporters outside the presidential palace in Belgrade that his administration had maintained peace and stability during his nine years in office.
Vučić had previously announced his plan to resign in June and is now running as his party’s candidate for prime minister in upcoming parliamentary elections. Serbia’s constitution bars him from seeking a third presidential term.
The pro-Russian populist leader’s administration has faced persistent anger over allegations of corner-cutting.
The collapse of the Novi Sad railway station roof, which killed 16 people, first ignited public anger toward the government in 2024.
Protests subsequently erupted across the country, drawing students, teachers, workers, and farmers alike.
Protesters argued that the disaster exposed more than a decade of Progressive Party governance under Vučić, who had closely identified himself with the station renovation—a project meant to symbolize Serbia’s progress.
A series of resignations among the president’s associates failed to calm protesters, who continued demonstrating through the summer and escalated to unrest following allegations of police brutality.
Vučić’s term was set to expire next year. Under the constitution, presidential elections must be held within three months of his resignation.
This means Serbians will vote twice before year’s end.
Vučić stated that the presidential election would occur more than a month after the snap parliamentary vote in late October, called in response to protests that had added elections to their list of demands.
He had earlier announced plans to run in that election as Progressive Party leader, keeping open the possibility of retaining a leading role in Serbian politics.
Parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić, also a Progressive Party member, will serve as interim president until a successor is elected.
Vučić used his constitutional authority to pardon 49 people, including 23 students and party loyalists suspected of offenses related to what he described as the “terrible events we have gone through over the past year and a half,” according to Serbian public broadcaster RTS.
The upcoming parliamentary elections will pit Vučić’s Progressive Party against a student-led anti-corruption movement called Students Win and a pro-Western opposition coalition known as European Serbia.
Vučić has dominated Serbian politics for over a decade, serving as prime minister from 2014 before being elected president in 2017.
He has publicly stated his desire for Serbia to join the EU while maintaining close ties with Russia and attracting Chinese investment.
