Vucic Resigns as Serbian President; Party Dissolves Parliament, Names Him PM Candidate

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on September 27, ending his second term seven months early; his Serbian Progressive Party dissolved parliament the same day and named him head of its electoral list and candidate for prime minister ahead of the October 25 vote.¹³⁷⁹

Resignation, dissolved parliament and a new candidacy

Vucic addressed the public and signed his resignation at the Presidency building in Belgrade, telling supporters it was "my last evening in this beautiful building," according to ksat.com's report of the address. Politika quoted him reading the constitutional text of his resignation and telling Brnabic, "this goes to the Parliament, and tomorrow you go to the handover."⁶¹¹¹²

Xinhua reported that the Serbian parliament was dissolved the same day, and that the Serbian Progressive Party placed Vucic at the top of its candidate list while designating him its pick for prime minister in the October 25 vote. AFP, carried by the Jakarta Globe, reported Vucic telling citizens, "I want to compete as an ordinary man, as one of the people."¹²¹⁴

Under Serbia's constitution, Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a close Vucic ally, assumed acting-president duties; Novosti and Politika reported she was to formally take over the following morning. The presidential vote must be completed within 90 days of the National Assembly receiving the resignation, with a campaign lasting between 30 and 60 days, and the first round to be held by the end of December.⁹¹¹⁶¹⁶

Vucic also pardoned 49 people, 23 of them convicted or prosecuted in connection with the protest movement, according to multiple outlets; per Politika, the group included 12 members of a Novi Sad circle led by Mila Pajic and 11 people implicated in incidents against demonstrators, while AFP described the 23 as including students and party loyalists suspected of protest-related offenses. Vucic himself said, "I have decided to pardon 49 people, 23 of them in connection with the terrible events we have gone through over the past year and a half."²⁶⁵¹¹

A twelve-year hold on power

Vucic has held either the presidency or the premiership since 2014, a run reporting describes as twelve years at the top, with his Serbian Progressive Party in power for a disputed fourteen years. His second presidential term was otherwise due to end in May next year, and Serbia's constitution bars him from seeking a third term. Reporting also indicates Vucic had signaled plans to resign earlier in the summer, well before Saturday's announcement.⁸⁴¹⁹

The Guardian and CBC described a gradual consolidation by the Progressive Party over state institutions since it took office in 2012, alongside accusations of corruption, links to organized crime and pressure on democratic freedoms. The Independent Bureau for Social Research filed a complaint alleging Vucic abused a public institution to promote his party, a complaint the same outlets report he dismissed — a characterization the dossier flags as disputed. The same outlets reported that democratic backsliding under Vucic, together with his refusal to align with sanctions against Russia, has left Serbia's EU accession bid at a standstill.⁴¹

Protests since the Novi Sad disaster

The resignation comes after nearly two years of student-led demonstrations, triggered when a newly reconstructed awning at a Novi Sad train station collapsed on November 1, 2024, killing a toll most reports place at 16, though one outlet disputes that figure. Al Jazeera described the demonstrations as among the largest Serbia has seen in decades, with protesters accusing the government of corruption, lack of transparency and political interference; Vucic and his allies have rejected those allegations.²⁴¹³

A student-backed movement, Students Win, is fielding roughly 250 candidates — matching the size of Serbia's 250-seat parliament — mostly university professors and other professionals, in the October vote. Analysts cited by the Guardian and CBC said polling shows the movement running close to Vucic's party, though Al Jazeera noted that the authenticity and methodology of some polls are difficult to verify independently.²⁴¹

In a statement, Students Win said students in Novi Sad and Belgrade had been physically attacked while paying respects to victims, and that none of its demands had been met, adding its blockades would continue: "Zahtevi nisu ispunjeni – blokade se nastavljaju."¹⁵

Vucic's remarks and contested claims

According to the Guardian and ksat.com, Vucic accused opponents and critical media of seeking to destroy the state under foreign influence, and told Serbia's state-run RTS Television that foreign powers and unidentified actors were planning to stir unrest on election night. These claims appear across two dossier sources but remain his characterization of unnamed threats and are not independently corroborated.¹¹¹