Serbia in Crisis: Vucić Announces Resignation as Protests Erupt

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday, leading to clashes with police, as President Aleksandar Vučić announced he would resign within weeks, triggering early presidential and parliamentary elections.

Resignation Announcement

President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Saturday at a pro-government rally in Belgrade that he will resign within weeks. He stated, "I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign," adding that he will assist his Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections.

No specific date for the resignation or the subsequent elections was provided. His second and final term was originally set to expire in mid-2027. Vučić has previously stated that elections could be held between September and November 2025.

Protests and Clashes

A large anti-government rally began peacefully on Saturday at Slavija Square in Belgrade. The demonstration was led by university students demanding early parliamentary elections and the rule of law, and calling for accountability related to a train station tragedy.

Following the rally, groups of demonstrators clashed with riot police. Protesters threw flares, rocks, and bottles, while police used pepper spray, stun grenades, and deployed anti-riot vehicles to block demonstrators. Serbia's state railway company cancelled all trains to and from Belgrade on the day of the protest.

Background

The protests began in November 2024 after a train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad, Serbia, killed 16 people. The incident sparked anticorruption protests calling for a transparent investigation. The subsequent demonstrations, led by university students, expanded into a campaign for early elections, accusing the government of crime and corruption. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević in January 2025.

Key Statements

President Aleksandar Vučić, speaking from a plane en route to China, stated that protesters "have shown their violent nature and cannot stand political opponents." He has previously called protesters "foreign agents" and accused them of seeking to overthrow the government.

Parliament speaker Ana Brnabić downplayed the rally, citing a police estimate of 34,300 attendees, and stated that "democracy is flourishing."

Protester Maja Milas Marković stated that students "managed to gather us here with their youth and wonderful energy; I really believe that we have [the] right to live normally."

Prosecutor Bojana Savović told the crowd: "A state where laws are not implemented or are implemented selectively is no longer a state, it becomes a mafia organization."

International Reaction

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, criticized Serbia's government in a report, citing reports of police protecting masked attackers of journalists and protesters, and stated he would monitor the situation closely. The EU’s top enlargement official warned that democratic backsliding under Vučić could cost Serbia approximately €1.5 billion in EU funding.