Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on September 27, 2026, ending his final term seven months early to run for prime minister in the October 25 parliamentary elections. The move follows nearly two years of intense, student-led protests triggered by a fatal 2024 train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad. While Vucic seeks to retain power through his ruling party, parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic becomes interim president ahead of a newly scheduled presidential election in December 2026.
Aleksandar Vucic's resignation announcement
- ▪Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on September 27, 2026, ending his second presidential term seven months before its scheduled conclusion
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic addressed supporters outside the Presidency building in Belgrade on September 27, 2026, stating he had served Serbia faithfully and honorably
Vucic's bid for prime minister
- ▪Political analysts state that Aleksandar Vucic will de facto remain the most powerful political figure in Serbia if he successfully becomes prime minister
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic resigned as president to run as the right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party candidate for prime minister in the October 25, 2026, parliamentary elections
Interim Presidency and upcoming elections
- ▪Outgoing parliamentary Speaker Ana Brnabic, a member of the Serbian Progressive Party, will serve as Serbia's interim president following Aleksandar Vucic's resignation
- ▪Under the Serbian Constitution, a presidential election must be completed within 90 days of the president's resignation, with the campaign lasting between 30 and 60 days
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic announced that the first round of the early presidential elections will be held by the end of December 2026
Presidential terms
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic's second presidential term was originally scheduled to end in May 2027
- ▪The Serbian Constitution bans Aleksandar Vucic from seeking a third consecutive five-year term as president
Novi Sad disaster and protests
- ▪A student-led anti-corruption movement called Students Win emerged from protests triggered by the Novi Sad train station canopy collapse to challenge Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party in the 2026 elections
- ▪The Novi Sad train station renovation was closely associated with Aleksandar Vucic, leading demonstrators to view the disaster as a symbol of systemic ruling party corruption
- ▪A concrete canopy collapse at the Novi Sad train station killed 16 people in late 2024, triggering widespread public anger and accusations of government corruption
Treatment of protesters
- ▪Serbian authorities targeted anti-government protesters with police violence, detentions, and intimidation during demonstrations in the country
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic used his constitutional powers on September 27, 2026, to pardon 49 people, including 23 students, who were suspected of protest-related offenses
Debatable claims
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic's run for prime minister undermines Serbia's constitutional term limits
- ▪The Serbian Progressive Party bears responsibility for the Novi Sad train station disaster
- ▪Aleksandar Vucic's leadership has done more harm than good for Serbia
Story comments
Loading comments…