Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he intended to resign within weeks, an announcement that could open the way to early elections after prolonged youth-led protests challenged his government. He made the declaration at a Serbian Progressive Party rally in central Belgrade.
Vučić did not provide a date for his departure or say when parliamentary or presidential voting would take place. Regular elections for both institutions were due in 2027. He told supporters that he expected to remain president only for several more weeks before submitting his resignation, and said he would campaign for his right-wing party in the coming contests.
The president was serving his second term and could not seek another presidential mandate under Serbian election law. His announcement followed past speculation that he might pursue the formally more powerful office of prime minister, but the supplied report did not establish that he planned to do so.
Students had demanded an early parliamentary election for more than a year. Their movement grew after a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters linked the disaster to alleged negligence and corruption surrounding major public infrastructure projects and called for accountability.
The demonstrations developed into a sustained challenge to Vučić, whose Serbian Progressive Party had controlled the national government for 14 years. Authorities detained hundreds of people during the unrest, while police faced accusations of excessive force and arbitrary arrests. Vučić also encountered criticism from the European Union over democratic decline and restrictions affecting the media.
His speech combined the promise to leave office with a confident prediction about his party’s prospects. He told the rally that the party would win more decisively than before and suggested it might be his final address to supporters as head of state. Those remarks indicated continued political involvement even after a resignation.
Important procedural questions remained unresolved on June 27. A stated intention to resign was not the same as a completed departure, and no election date had been formally set in the supplied evidence. The type and sequence of any early elections were also unclear.
The announcement nevertheless marked a notable shift after Vučić had previously resisted students’ demand for an early vote. Its practical effect depended on a formal resignation and subsequent decisions by Serbia’s institutions. Until those steps occurred, the immediate development was a public commitment by the president to end his term early while continuing to support the governing party.
