Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Saturday that he would resign within weeks and announced early presidential and parliamentary elections.
Vučić's announcement came after a year and a half of student-led anti-corruption protests that swept across the country, following the collapse of a tent at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people.
Days ago in the city of Novi Sad, students commemorated the deaths of 2024 and demanded early general elections.
"I will be president for only a few weeks and then I will resign," Vucic told supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital Belgrade. Vucic's second and final term expires in mid-2027.
Vučić also said he would help his Serbian Progressive Party win elections, including early parliamentary elections, initially scheduled for 2027. He did not specify when he would resign or when he might dissolve parliament, a prerequisite for early parliamentary elections.
Protesters, the opposition and human rights groups claim the disaster at the railway station was the result of broader government mismanagement of construction projects and corruption. Activists from the student-led movement say they want to challenge Vucic and the SNS in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
