Thousands of protesters rallied in central Serbia on Sunday, a day after President Aleksandar Vucic said he would step down within weeks following more than a year of student-led protests.
“The students are winning,” Nemanja Karovic, a Belgrade professor who supports the movement, told the crowd from a stage in the main square of Kraljevo, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) south of the capital, Belgrade.
Serbia has seen regular student-led, anti-government protests since the roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed in November 2024.
The incident, which killed 16 people, is widely attributed to widespread government mismanagement of construction projects and systemic corruption.
President Vucic says he plans to resign within weeks
Vucic has branded protesters “foreign agents” who want to overthrow the government, and has rejected calls for early elections before officially leaving office in 2027.
However, on Saturday Vucic told his supporters at a pro-government rally in Belgrade that he would remain president “only for a few more weeks”.
“And then I will resign,” he said without giving further details on the election timeline.
Vucic also said he would help his ruling Serbian Progressive Party in the next elections.
Vucic, a prominent figure in Serbian politics
According to Serbia’s election law, Vucic, who is currently serving his second term, cannot run for president again.
However, it is expected that following his resignation, Vucic will try to return to power as Prime Minister, a position he held from 2014 to 2017.
Although the President of Serbia plays only a ceremonial role under the constitution, Vucic has exercised considerable power over his party and government.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
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