Vučić resigns as Serbia's election puts his next office at stake
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić resigned before the 25 October snap parliamentary election and plans to seek the premiership. Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić is due to take over temporarily. The vote pits his long-governing party against a student-backed movement formed amid protests after the Novi Sad station disaster, leaving the direction of the country's leadership to the ballot.
Geopolitics··Morning
Vučić leaves the presidency for an October contest
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić resigned on 27 September and intends to seek the premiership in the snap parliamentary election on 25 October. His second presidential term would have ended next year, and the constitution does not permit a third. The move takes him from the presidency into a race in which his Serbian Progressive Party faces a student-backed challenge. National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić, a close ally and former prime minister, is due to serve as acting president until a presidential election. Vučić said he had signed the resignation and would transfer his duties the next morning. He also said a presidential vote must take place by the end of December. The parliamentary election and the later presidential election are separate votes. Brnabić's interim role follows from the resignation and lasts while the replacement for the presidency is arranged.[1], [2]
The Novi Sad disaster set off the challenge
The student-led movement grew from demonstrations after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters accuse the government of corruption, poor transparency and political interference in state institutions; Vučić and his allies reject responsibility for those problems. The movement is contesting the election as Students Win. Its list consists largely of academics and people from other professions, while its programme calls for scrutiny of allegedly ill-gotten property and greater transparency in public spending. Vučić has dominated Serbia's national politics as prime minister or president since 2014, so this ballot tests whether the long-running protests can become an electoral challenge to his governing party. The station disaster was the trigger for the protests, but responsibility for the collapse and the allegations against the government remain contested. The student list is seeking an electoral mandate on transparency and property inquiries.[1], [2]
Pardons and a contested ballot close his term
Before resigning, Vučić said he had pardoned 49 people, including 23 convicted of offences connected with the protests. That decision comes as a student-backed list seeks office rather than remaining solely a street movement. Al Jazeera reported that some polls show the movement capable of seriously challenging the ruling party, but said the methods of some polls could not be independently verified. Vučić told CNN that he would accept the result if the opposition won. The October vote will decide the parliamentary balance before a new prime minister is chosen; Brnabić's temporary presidency does not itself decide that office. The contest is also watched in neighbouring states, where Serbia maintains close links with Serbian communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo. His pardon announcement is one of his last stated acts in the presidency, not a change to the parliamentary ballot. The party and student-backed list still have to compete for seats on election day.[1]
