Serbian President Vucic says he will resign within weeks amid student-led protests | CNN

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday he would resign within weeks and the country will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, following 18 months of anti-government protests. The announcement by Vucic, who has been in power as president or prime minister for 12 years, came amid persistent anti-corruption demonstrations led by students and triggered by the collapse of an awning at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad in November 2024, in which 16 people died. Protesters, opposition and rights groups allege the railway station disaster was a sign of broader government mismanagement of construction projects and corruption. “I will be president for only a couple more weeks, and then I will resign,” Vucic told throngs of his supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade. Vucic’s second and final mandate was due to expire in mid-2027. Vucic said he would help his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) win the presidential election and the early parliamentary vote, also originally set for 2027. “My proposal is for our list, the winning list in the upcoming elections, to be named ‘United Serbia’.” He did not specify when he