Aleksandar Vucic Says He Will Resign Within Weeks Amid Belgrade Protests

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic said he will resign within weeks, telling supporters in downtown Belgrade, “I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation,” as he said his Serbian Progressive Party would win “more convincingly than ever before.”

“Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic says he will step down within “weeks””

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The announcement came as youth-led protests challenged his grip on power after a train station accident in the country’s north in November 2024 that killed 16 people, with European Union criticism citing Serbia’s democratic backsliding including a media clampdown.

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CNA said Vucic told supporters at a pro-government rally in Belgrade, “I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign,” and that the country would hold early presidential and parliamentary elections after 18 months of anti-government protests.

CNA also tied the unrest to the collapse of an awning at a railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, in which 16 people died, and said Vucic’s second and final mandate was due to expire in mid-2027.

Vucic’s rally rhetoric hardened as he accused protesters of being “foreign agents,” and Free Malaysia Today said he told supporters these were his “last days and weeks as president of the Republic” while he did not set an election date.

In Belgrade, AFP quotes in Free Malaysia Today showed how supporters framed the moment, with Milomir Cimbaljevic, 74, saying Vucic “stays ‘the leader’,” and Darinka Avramov, 60, saying “This is important for the future of our children and all our young people.”

CNA

CNA reported that opposition and rights groups alleged the Novi Sad disaster reflected broader government mismanagement of construction projects and corruption, and it quoted student opposition Move-Change head Savo Manojlovic saying, “By resigning and with early presidential and parliamentary elections, Vucic is trying to preempt his inevitable fall.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said Vucic told thousands at a June 27 rally in Belgrade, “These are my last days and weeks as the republic's president. After that, I will resign,” while also describing his call for dialogue alongside accusations that the movement was influenced by foreign actors.

CNA said Serbia’s president role is largely ceremonial, but it described how Vucic could still keep influence because his resignation could pave the way for him to become prime minister if his party triumphs in parliamentary elections.

“Devdiscourse News Desk | Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic Said On Saturday He Would Resign Within Weeks And The Country Will Hold Early Presidential And Parliamentary Elections Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has disclosed intentions to step down within weeks, prompting early presidential and parliamentary elections”

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CNA quoted Warsaw-based analyst Radivoje Grujic saying, “This is not at all the end of Vucic,” and it added that Vucic’s timing suggested the protests played a role, with another student rally scheduled for Sunday in the town of Kraljevo.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Vucic has faced European Union criticism over Serbia’s democratic backsliding, including a media clampdown, and it said hundreds of people have been detained with Serbia’s police accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.

Eunews, in an interview with political analyst Srđan Cvijić, framed the stakes as a potential regime shift, quoting him: “In one way or another, this is the end of Vučić's regime,” while also saying the protests were triggered by the fatal collapse of a shelter on the Novi Sad railway station platform.