Vucic Resigns as Serbia’s President to Run for Prime Minister in Snap Vote
When word spread that vucic resigns serbia president, it marked the end of an era in Balkan politics. Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on Sunday, September 27, 2026, in an evening address from the presidential palace in Belgrade, declaring: “I am resigning as president.” The 56-year-old populist leader, who has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, read the resignation text and signed it — then announced he would run for prime minister in the October 25 snap parliamentary election. Supporters gathered outside the palace chanting his name as he added: “Tomorrow morning I will hand over my duties to the parliament speaker.” (AP via Bangkok Post)
A Sunday-evening farewell from the palace
Vucic used the televised address to bring the curtain down on his presidency in carefully staged fashion. Reading from the resignation text before signing it, he told viewers: “This is the last evening for me in this building.” He struck a proud, defiant tone: “I have faithfully served you and my fatherland, Serbia, … I am proud of what we have done together,” he said. Outside the palace, supporters chanted his name — a reminder that, for all the anger on Serbia’s streets over the past year and a half, Vucic still commands a loyal base. (Reuters via GMA News)
Forty-nine pardons in his final minutes
Minutes before resigning, Vucic used his constitutional powers one last time — to pardon 49 people. “I have decided to pardon 49 people, 23 of them in connection with the terrible events we have gone through over the past year and a half,” he announced. According to AP, those pardoned included students and party loyalists suspected of offences during the protests, along with anti-government activists who had fled Serbia after being accused of anti-state activities. The move touches both sides of the protest wave that has defined Serbian politics since late 2024 — a gesture his critics will read as clearing the decks before the campaign, and his supporters as reconciliation. (AP via Gulf Times)
Who takes over: Ana Brnabic
Under Serbian law, Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic now becomes acting president. Brnabic — a close Vucic ally and former prime minister, the outgoing speaker of Serbia’s 250-member parliament — will serve as head of state for up to three months, until a new president is elected. Her appointment keeps the presidency firmly in the hands of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) through the transition. (AP via Times of India)
Early presidential elections must follow within 90 days
Serbia must now complete early presidential elections within 90 days. The campaign will last 30 to 60 days, and the first round must be held by the end of December 2026. “By the end of December … we will have the first round of presidential elections,” Vucic told supporters.
Before that comes the October 25 snap parliamentary vote, which Vucic called earlier this month, citing “major turbulence on the domestic political scene.” Parliament was dissolved earlier this month. Vucic heads the SNS electoral list and is its candidate for prime minister — notably, the law did not require him to resign to run. He had said in late June that he planned to step down, and had repeatedly promised snap elections without setting a date.
The October vote pits Vucic’s SNS and its allies, including the Socialist Party, against Students Win — the student-led anti-corruption movement — and European Serbia, an alliance of pro-Western opposition parties, plus several smaller groups. Neither opposition alliance had yet named a presidential candidate, and analysts describe a tight, referendum-like race, with Vucic and the student movement polling close. (AP via LA Post)
So why did vucic resign when the law never required it?
His own answer was simple: he wants to fight the election on equal footing. “I want to compete as an ordinary man, as one of the people,” he said. Looking ahead, he was bullish: “But I look to the future with joy, new victories await us.” He also offered a rare note of self-criticism: “I have made mistakes but I have worked diligently like hardly anyone in this position,” he said — promising that from Monday he would be “everywhere in Serbia to listen to the people.” That is the opening move of a campaign for the premiership, an office formally more powerful than the presidency. With the constitution barring him from a third presidential term anyway, stepping down to chase the prime minister’s job is both a reset and a bid to stay in charge. (AP via Bangkok Post)
The Novi Sad tragedy behind the crisis
The road to this moment began on November 1, 2024, when the canopy of the newly reconstructed railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The disaster, widely blamed on corruption, triggered some of Serbia’s largest protests since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, at times drawing hundreds of thousands into the streets.
What began as demands for a transparent investigation grew into demands for snap elections and anti-corruption accountability. The government repeatedly denied the protesters’ accusations, though several officials, including two ministers, were arrested or resigned. Rights groups accused Vucic and his allies of increasingly authoritarian rule; protesters said they were beaten by police and unfairly detained, allegations the authorities denied. AP reports long-standing accusations of rampant corruption, organized-crime links, and a clampdown on democratic freedoms, including the critical media — charges the SNS, in power since 2012, denies. (AP via Gulf Times)
Twelve years at the top — and a balancing act abroad
Vucic was first elected president in 2017 and re-elected in May 2022. By resigning now, he cut short his second five-year term, which would otherwise have run until May 2027 — though the constitution barred him from a third term regardless. His career runs through every seat of power: deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, prime minister from 2014 to 2017, and president since 2017 — either prime minister or president for the past 12 years.
Abroad, he practiced a careful balancing act: closer ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, the principal supplier of natural gas, set against a long-term goal of EU membership, while also seeking ties with the United States and Israel. Serbia’s EU bid has stalled over democratic backsliding and his refusal to join sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. It is one of several upheavals reshaping European politics this month — from Belgrade’s streets to Italy’s new school decree law. (AP via Times of India)
What happens now
Serbia enters a compressed political season: a snap parliamentary election on October 25, up to three months of Ana Brnabic as acting president, and early presidential elections whose first round must come by the end of December. Vucic will campaign for the more powerful premiership as an “ordinary man,” while the student-led movement born from the Novi Sad tragedy tests whether street anger can become votes.
What to watch next: whether Students Win and European Serbia name presidential candidates before the December deadline, how tight the polls stay between Vucic and the student movement, and whether a man who has run Serbia for 12 years can win it back from a different office. Follow our World News desk for continuing coverage.
