Vučić resigns as Serbia's president to run for prime minister in Oct 25 snap election

Aleksandar Vučić resigned as Serbia’s president on Sunday to pursue a bid to become prime minister in an early parliamentary election on Oct 25, a ballot testing his grip on the Balkan country after nearly two years of protests, the Associated Press reported.

Vučić’s second presidential term would otherwise have ended in May next year, but Serbia’s constitution bars him from seeking a third term. He said he was resigning to lead his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party into the Oct 25 vote. “I am resigning the duty of the President of the Republic,” he said, reading the text of his resignation.

The vote comes amid high political tensions. Vučić’s populists face a major challenge from a youth-backed movement that led protests triggered by the Nov 1, 2024, train station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in Novi Sad. University students demanded accountability, and the movement has grown into a broad push to oust a government that has held power for 14 years.

Vučić has been either prime minister or president for the past 12 years. He was elected president in 2017 and re-elected in 2022, with the constitution limiting presidents to two five-year terms. On Sept 5, the Serbian Progressive Party nominated him to head its electoral list and as its candidate for prime minister.

CGTN reported that Vučić told Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS he would formally submit his resignation to the National Assembly speaker at about 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

Sources: Associated Press · CGTN · rks.news