Serbia's Ruling Party Proposes Vucic as Prime Minister Ahead of Early Election

Serbia's ruling populist party has formally proposed that President Aleksandar Vucic take over as prime minister if it wins an early parliamentary election, expected to be held on October 25. The vote comes after more than a year of street protests that have challenged Vucic's grip on power.

Vucic has yet to dissolve parliament and call the ballot, but told party officials on Saturday that he would do so in the coming days. He said he would then resign the presidency to join the campaign, with a presidential election to follow later.

The election will be held nearly two years after a concrete canopy collapse at a train station in Novi Sad killed 16 people. The tragedy triggered youth-led demonstrations accusing the government of corruption and incompetence. Protesters have demanded accountability and an end to corruption they say led to poor renovation work.

On Saturday, anti-government protesters marched in the city of Nis, where Vucic's party was meeting. Police surrounded the National Theater building to keep demonstrators away from the venue.

Vucic has repeatedly dismissed the protests as foreign-orchestrated, saying "this evil is coming from the outside," without providing evidence. His government has faced international criticism over police violence and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators.

The governing SNS party will face a student-backed election list that is expected to include university professors and experts, though their names have not been made public. Right-wing and center-left opposition parties, along with several smaller groups, will also contest the vote.

Earlier this week, a group of university students said they were among at least 14 people targeted with spyware, in what a Serbian foundation described as the largest such incident so far. Authorities dismissed the reports.

Serbia's bid to join the European Union has stalled under Vucic due to democratic backsliding and election irregularities. The country has also refused to join EU sanctions against Russia and maintains close ties with China.