Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned on Tuesday following months of anti-government protests. The demonstrations were sparked by the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 15 people. After submitting his resignation, Vučević expressed hope that his departure would ease tensions and pave the way for renewed dialogue between the government and protesters.
With the prime minister’s resignation, early parliamentary elections could be called in Serbia. President Aleksandar Vučić is set to attend a Cabinet session on Tuesday evening to decide whether to appoint someone to fill Vučević’s vacant position or to call snap elections.
According to Vučević, Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić is also expected to step down on Tuesday. If confirmed, Đurić would be the third high-profile politician to resign in connection with the railway station accident. Construction Minister Goran Vesić resigned in November, and prosecutors filed indictments against 13 individuals in late December.
‘Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić is also expected to step down on Tuesday’
Protesters accuse the government of corruption and negligence, which they believe culminated in the Novi Sad tragedy. The demonstrations have continued for over two months, with large crowds gathering even on New Year’s Day in Belgrade to demand Vučić’s resignation.
Earlier in January, Vučić called on opposition parties to initiate a confidence referendum against him. His move was a response to a survey conducted by the Center for Research, Transparency, and Accountability (CRTA), which revealed that 61 per cent of the population supports the anti-government protests triggered by the Novi Sad railway station tragedy.
The survey also revealed that 52 per cent of Serbs want Vučić to be replaced, prompting him to address the matter directly. ‘If this is the case, I will no longer be able to carry out the duties of the president of the republic,’ Vučić stated. He highlighted that legitimacy is the foundation of politics and that sovereignty always originates from the will of the people.
‘It is possible that instead of initiating a referendum, Vučić may call early elections later today’
It is possible that instead of initiating a referendum, Vučić may call early elections later today. The last parliamentary elections, held on 17 December 2023, resulted in a substantial victory for Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The SNS secured nearly 50 per cent of the vote, winning 129 seats in the 250-member parliament, enabling them to form a government without requiring a coalition. The largest opposition party, Serbia Against Violence (SPN), which emerged in October 2023 following mass shootings that shook the country, holds 65 seats in parliament.
The current protests were initially led by students but have recently gained broader support. Many schools, bookstores, theatres, and bars joined the cause last Friday by shutting down in solidarity. More recently, university students staged a 24-hour blockade in Belgrade on Monday. Speaking at a joint press conference with Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, Vučić called for dialogue with the students, stating: ‘We need to lower the tensions and start talking to each other. Any kind of a crisis poses a serious problem for our economy. Such a situation in society is not good for anyone.’
In an effort to counter the anti-government demonstrations, Vučić and SNS supporters held their own protest on Friday. Addressing his supporters, Vučić claimed that Serbia was ‘attacked both from outside and inside’ by the protests. ‘It is not accidental that they have attacked Serbia from abroad,’ Vučić said, referencing the country’s friendly relations with Russia and China and its refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. ‘That is what they want to crush, but we must not allow it. That is our strength,’ he told the cheering crowd.
‘Vučić claimed that Serbia was ‘attacked both from outside and inside’ by the protests’
Vučić also announced the formation of a nationwide political movement aimed at energizing his supporters. ‘You are all welcome to the movement of big change and future,’ Vučić declared, adding that the movement would include people unaffiliated with any political party.
According to the latest poll, SNS currently enjoys 48.7 per cent support, with the highest-rated opposition party standing at just 7 per cent. Vučić, who was directly elected President of the Republic in 2017 and re-elected in 2022, is ineligible for re-election under the Serbian constitution when his current mandate expires in 2027.
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