Vučić Resigns as Serbia’s President Ahead of October Parliamentary Vote

• Vučić signed his resignation on Sunday, saying he wanted to take part in the parliamentary campaign as an ordinary citizen.
• On Monday, National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić took over presidential duties as acting president.
• The parliamentary election is set for 25 October. A separate presidential vote must be held within three months of the end of Vučić’s term.
• The votes come after months of student-led protests over accountability and corruption, sparked by a deadly railway-station collapse.

Vučić signed a resignation letter on 27 September and said he would campaign in the parliamentary election as an ordinary citizen. The Associated Press reports that he is seeking to become prime minister and lead his Serbian Progressive Party into the 25 October vote. His presidential term was otherwise due to end next May.¹

Brnabić took over presidential duties the next day. Serbia’s government says the acting role can last no longer than three months, and that Brnabić must call an early presidential election within that period.²

That presidential vote is not the 25 October election. Vučić called the October poll after dissolving parliament; it is an election for members of parliament. The Republic Electoral Commission says the National Assembly Speaker calls a presidential election and that at least 30 days must pass between calling it and polling day.³

The deadline depends on when Vučić’s presidential term legally ended. The government says that happens when the National Assembly receives a resignation. Its account of the handover does not give the time the Assembly received his letter. Vučić has said the first round of the presidential vote should take place by the end of December, but the commission’s rules—not that stated expectation—set the process and deadline.²³

The election follows protests that began after a railway-station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, killing 16 people. Students demanding accountability helped build a wider movement against corruption and political interference. A Belgrade commentator quoted by Al Jazeera said protesters had forced the early election, challenging Vučić’s account of the vote as a decision made by his government.⁴

Footnotes

1. Serbian Government, “President of Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić resigns”; Associated Press, “Serbia’s populist President Vucic resigns to run for prime minister at early vote”. ↩

2. Serbian Government, “Vučić hands over duty of President of Republic to National Assembly Speaker”. ↩ ↩²

3. Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia, “Presidential Elections”; Serbian Government, “President of Republic calls parliamentary elections for 25 October”. ↩ ↩²

4. Associated Press, “Serbia’s populist President Vucic resigns to run for prime minister at early vote”; Al Jazeera, “Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns amid prolonged protests”. ↩