Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has resigned to run for the post of prime minister in a snap parliamentary election on 25 October, as a student-led protest movement mounts the biggest challenge to his rule in more than a decade.
Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics as president or prime minister since 2014 through the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), is seeking to retain influence after being barred from contesting a third presidential term, Al Jazeera.
Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a close ally of Vucic, will serve as acting president until a presidential election is held.
Vucic said one of his final acts as president was pardoning 49 people, including 23 convicted over their involvement in protests.
Protests sparked by railway station collapse
The election follows nearly two years of demonstrations triggered by the deaths of 16 people after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, on 1 November 2024.
Students have since organised some of the country’s largest protests in decades, drawing hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.
The protesters have accused the government of corruption, lack of transparency and political interference in state institutions.
Vucic and his allies have rejected allegations that they are responsible for the issues raised by demonstrators.
The student movement is contesting the parliamentary election under the banner “Students Win”, with support from several opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, once led by former Serbian President Boris Tadic.
Some opinion polls suggest the student-backed movement could challenge Vucic’s SNS, although the methodology and reliability of some polls have not been independently verified.
Belgrade-based editor and columnist Dejan Ilic said Vucic should not be credited for calling the early election.
“Vucic is not the only actor in this country. People have said Serbia is in a bad state, they demanded elections and they forced elections,” Ilic said.
Concerns over post-election crisis
Former Serbian parliamentarian and human rights activist Aida Corovic said dissatisfaction extended beyond the student movement.
“Serbia has been undergoing internal change in recent months,” she said.
“I fear that the crisis in Serbia could only begin after the 25 October elections,” Corovic said, alleging that the government had taken control of institutions and was closely linked with organised crime.
Hours before his resignation, Vucic told CNN that if the opposition won, he would accept the result and congratulate his opponents on the same evening.
Regional attention on Serbia vote
The political crisis in Serbia is being closely monitored across the Western Balkans.
Belgrade maintains political, economic and cultural ties with Serbian communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo, meaning developments in Serbia often have wider regional implications.
Tanja Topic, head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation office in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, said a shift in Serbia’s political direction could reduce tensions across the region.
“It is crucial that the paradigm in Serbia’s politics changes because it would bring relief to the entire region,” Topic said.
She said Belgrade had for years sent mixed signals to neighbouring countries by presenting itself as a supporter of peace and stability while, in her view, contributing to regional tensions.
Topic said Serbia’s influence had been particularly significant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while relations between Serbia and Croatia had also worsened in recent years.
“We should not expect miracles overnight,” she said.
“Changing the value system would be a long and difficult process, but disappointment if change does not come could have more serious and damaging consequences, both in Serbia and across the region.”
