Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on September 27, 2026, stepping down months before his term ends to run for prime minister in the snap parliamentary election scheduled for October 25. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic will serve as acting president as political tensions peak following nearly two years of protests.
Serbia’s political landscape shifted dramatically on Sunday evening when Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation from the presidency at the presidential palace in Belgrade. The 56-year-old leader, who has dominated the country’s politics for more over a decade as either prime minister or president, chose to step down before his second and final term concluded in May of 2027.
Surrounded by supporters gathered outside chanting his name, Vucic delivered his resignation statement from the presidential palace. I am resigning as president,
Vucic said. Tomorrow morning I will hand over my duties to the parliament speaker.
This is the last evening for me in this building,
Vucic declared. I served you faithfully. I served all of you, and our homeland Serbia, honourably and honestly throughout my presidential term,
Vucic told supporters. The fight is only beginning,
he added. Vucic is banned by the Serbian Constitution from seeking a third term. Vucic supporters praise him for his stability, stated commitment to development projects in Serbia and his patriotism, in a country long overshadowed by war in the 1990s and subsequent international isolation. Opponents, however, have decried what they see as increasingly authoritarian tendencies. Vucic is on the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ballot.
The Novi Sad Disaster and Student-Led Protests That Forced the Snap Vote
The early parliamentary election follows nearly two years of demonstrations prompted by the killing of 16 people when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. The disaster was widely blamed on corruption and became the catalyst for some of Serbia’s largest protests since the fall of Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, at times drawing hundreds of thousands.
Students have since organised some of Serbia’s largest demonstrations in decades, drawing hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets. University students demanded accountability for the tragedy. Their struggle for justice and against corruption has grown into a strong movement that will attempt to oust the SNS after 14 years in power. Initial calls for a transparent investigation grew into demands for snap elections, which Vucic had repeatedly promised without setting a date. Earlier this month however, he called an October 25 vote, citing major turbulence on the domestic political scene
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“I am resigning the duty of the president of the republic,” Vučić said, reading the text of his resignation.
Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia
Ana Brnabic Takes Over as Acting President Under Strict Constitutional Timelines
Aleksandar Vučić je večeras podneo ostavku na tu funkciju, a poziciju v.d. predsednika preuzima Ana Brnabić, predsednica raspuštene Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije. Kada Vučićeva ostavka stigne na pisarnicu Skupštine Srbije, počinje da teče zakonski rok za predsedničke izbore koji moraju da se održe najkasnije 90 dana od tog datuma. Brnabic tako postaje vršilac dužnosti (v.d.) predsednika Republike. Brnabić je ovim postala žena koja je obavljala sve tri najviše funkcije u državi: bila je premijerka, predsednica Narodne skupštine, sada i v.d. predsednika. Kao vršilac dužnosti predsednika Republike, predsednik Narodne skupštine ovlašćen je da predstavlja zemlju, prima akreditivna pisma, raspiše izbore za Narodnu skupštinu, predlaže kandidata za predsednika Vlade i obavlja poslove odbrane. Takođe, predsednik Narodne skupštine raspisuje izbore za novog predsednika. Prema članu 10. Zakona o izboru predsednika Republike, ako predsedniku prestane mandat pre vremena na koje je izabran, izbori se raspisuju tako da se glasanje održi najkasnije tri meseca od dana kada predsedniku Republike prestane mandat. Isti član propisuje da od dana raspisivanja izbora do dana glasanja ne može proteći manje od 30 ni više od 60 dana. Najkasniji datum za održavanje predsedničkih izbora je 27. decembar.
Pardons Issued and Electoral Strategy Ahead of the October 25 Ballot
Vucic said one of his final acts in office was to pardon 49 people, including 23 convicted in connection with the protests. Human rights organizations have accused Vucic and his allies to exercise an increasingly authoritarian rule, while anti-government protesters claim they were beaten by police and unjustly detained. The authorities have denied those allegations. On Sunday, hundreds of Vučić’s supporters cheered him on in front of the Presidency building in central Belgrade.
