Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic formally stepped down from office on Sunday, clearing the path for the upcoming October 25 parliamentary elections.
Having served as either prime minister or president of Serbia since 2014, Vucic had previously stated he would vacate the presidency to officially pursue the premiership, provided his right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party secures victory in the October vote.
Vucic’s second presidential term was originally scheduled to conclude in May of next year, though the Serbian Constitution prohibits him from seeking a third term.
Hundreds of Vucic’s supporters gathered outside the Presidency building in central Belgrade to cheer him.
“This is the final evening for me in this building,” he declared to the flag-waving crowd minutes before stepping down.
“I have faithfully served you and my fatherland, Serbia… I am proud of what we have accomplished together,” he told the audience.
The snap elections were primarily demanded by a student-led movement, which originated following the November 2024 collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station that killed 16 people and was heavily attributed to corruption.
This tragedy sparked some of the largest protests Serbia has seen since the fall of Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, occasionally mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people into the streets.
Early demands for a transparent investigation eventually evolved into calls for snap elections, an outcome Vucic had repeatedly promised but had yet to schedule a date for.
Earlier this month, however, he called the October 25 vote, citing “major turbulence on the domestic political scene.”
Under the Serbian constitution, outgoing parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic will assume the role of interim president until a successor is elected. The presidential election must be concluded within 90 days, with the campaign period ranging between 30 and 60 days.
“By the end of December… we will hold the first round of presidential elections,” Vucic stated.
Minutes prior to his resignation, Vucic exercised his constitutional powers to pardon dozens of individuals—including students and loyalists from his party—who were suspected of committing offenses during the protests.
“I have decided to pardon 49 people, 23 of whom are connected to the terrible events we have endured over the past year and a half,” Vucic said, referencing the protests.
The upcoming snap parliamentary election positions Vucic’s SNS and its allies against Students Win, a student-led anti-corruption movement, and European Serbia, an alliance of pro-Western opposition parties.
Students Win, European Serbia, and other parties must still nominate their respective presidential candidates.
