Serbia's President Vucic Plans Resignation Amid Protests
WHO:
CNN - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
CNN - Serbian Progressive Party (SNS)
CNN - Savo Manojlovic, head of the student opposition Move-Change movement
CNN - Radivoje Grujic, Warsaw-based analyst
ABC News World - Youth-led protest groups
WHAT:
ABC News World - Vucic stated, “We will win more convincingly than ever before,” regarding the upcoming elections.
Al Jazeera - Vucic mentioned this was probably the last time he would address the crowd as Serbia’s president.
CNN - Vucic announced he will resign within weeks.
CNN - Early presidential and parliamentary elections will be held.
CNN - Vucic has been in power for 12 years as president or prime minister.
CNN - 16 people died in the collapse of an awning at a railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024.
CNN - Vucic's second and final mandate was due to expire in mid-2027.
CNN - Vucic proposed naming the winning list in the upcoming elections “United Serbia.”
CNN - Vucic stated, “I will be president for only a couple more weeks, and then I will resign.”
CNN - Vucic accused students and anti-government protesters of aiming to destroy the country.
CNN - Vucic pledged to end corruption, increase pensions, and improve state-run health services.
WHERE:
CNN - The announcement was made at a pro-government rally in Belgrade.
CNN - The railway station disaster occurred in Novi Sad.
CNN - A student rally is scheduled for Kraljevo, in south-central Serbia.
WHEN:
CNN - Vucic's resignation is expected within weeks.
CNN - Early parliamentary elections were originally set for 2027.
WHY:
ABC News World - The protests eventually led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in January 2025.
CNN - The resignation follows 18 months of anti-government protests.
CNN - Protests were triggered by the railway station disaster, which highlighted government mismanagement and corruption.
CNN - Activists claim Vucic is trying to preempt his inevitable fall due to protests and the student movement.
HOW:
ABC News World - Hundreds of people were detained during the protests, with Serbia’s police accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests by the European Union.
CNN - Vucic plans to help his party win the upcoming elections.
CNN - Vucic has floated the idea of becoming prime minister again after his resignation.
(UPDATED June 28, 2026 08:06 UTC)
Serbia's President Vucic declared that he intends to win the upcoming elections "more convincingly than ever before," while also suggesting this might be his final address to the crowd in his current role. This follows significant protests that resulted in the resignation of then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in January 2025, during which hundreds were detained and the police faced accusations of excessive force and arbitrary arrests from the European Union. Vucic's remarks come at a pivotal moment in Serbian politics, as the nation prepares for a critical electoral battle.
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(UPDATED June 27, 2026 23:20 UTC)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he will resign within weeks during a pro-government rally in Belgrade, following 18 months of anti-government protests sparked by a tragic railway station disaster that claimed 16 lives. He has proposed early presidential and parliamentary elections, aiming to name the winning list “United Serbia,” while also pledging to tackle corruption and improve state-run health services. Vucic, who has held power for 12 years, hinted at a potential return to the role of prime minister after his resignation, as he navigates the challenges posed by student-led opposition movements.