Serbia's Vucic Resigns Presidency to Run for Prime Minister in October Vote

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on Sunday, cutting short his second term to lead his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party into an early parliamentary election on Oct. 25, where he aims to become prime minister.

Vucic, barred by the constitution from a third presidential term, had been due to leave office in May next year. He read out his resignation before supporters gathered outside the presidency building in Belgrade, telling them it was his last evening there and that new victories lay ahead. He urged the crowd to defeat his opponents by a wider margin than ever.

The vote will test the grip of a leader who has held the presidency or the premiership for 12 years, and whose party has governed for 14. His populists face an unusually strong challenge from a movement rooted in student-led protests that followed the collapse of a train station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad on Nov. 1, 2024, which killed 16 people.

Students demanded accountability for the deaths, and their campaign against corruption and for justice has grown into a broad political force. Its election list includes little-known experts, professors, teachers and athletes, and student groups have toured the country by bicycle to press for the rule of law.

Analysts describe the race between the student group and Vucic as close, with a referendum-like mood. Also competing are Vucic's allies in the Socialist Party, a pro-EU opposition alliance and several smaller groups.

Vucic's move to the premiership is widely seen as a maneuver to keep a top office and strengthen his party's position. Although Serbia's prime minister formally holds more power than the president, Vucic dominated politics during his two five-year terms, often presiding over government sessions and announcing major decisions.

In the weeks before resigning, he toured the country with heavy coverage on pro-government media, opening roads, offering financial aid and cheaper medicines, and visiting voters at home. The Independent Bureau for Social Research, or BIRODI, has filed a complaint accusing him of using a public institution to promote his party; he has dismissed the allegation, and anti-corruption authorities under government control have not responded.

After the resignation, Ana Brnabic, a close ally, former prime minister and outgoing speaker of the 250-member Parliament, becomes acting president. Vucic said a first round of an early presidential election must be held by the end of the year under a 90-day deadline.

He also said he had pardoned 49 people before leaving office, including 23 prosecuted over alleged offenses during the protests, among them anti-government activists who fled Serbia after being accused of anti-state activity.

Vucic and his party have faced accusations of corruption, links to organized crime and a crackdown on democratic freedoms, including critical media. The party has denied abuse of office and pledged to fight graft. Authorities have used police force and detentions against protesters, while Vucic has accused opponents and critical media, without evidence, of seeking to destroy the state under unspecified foreign influence. He told state television on Sunday that foreign powers and unidentified domestic actors planned unrest on election night.

Serbia's bid to join the European Union has stalled under his leadership, amid concerns over democratic backsliding and Belgrade's refusal to join sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.