Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he will resign in the coming weeks and initiate early presidential and parliamentary elections. He made the statement during a large rally in Belgrade, according to PinkTV. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
"I will be president for only a few more weeks, and then I will resign," Vucic said after 14 years in power.
The politician thanked his supporters who came to Belgrade from all over the country, as well as from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
Vucic stated that his resignation is not related to a desire to hold onto power at any cost.
Vucic's statement came amid the largest anti-government protests in Serbia since the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
The trigger for mass discontent was the tragedy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, when a canopy collapse killed 16 people.
Students, the opposition, and human rights organizations consider the disaster a symbol of corruption and ineffective control over state construction projects.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that in August 2025, the situation in Serbia escalated after several days of mass riots, with clashes between protesters and police in the city of Valjevo and the capital Belgrade. In September last year, thousands of Serbs took to the streets in central Belgrade, chanting slogans against the Serbian president.
Vucic, in turn, accused the protest organizers of trying to destabilize the country.
"They wanted to bring Serbia to its knees, destroy our universities, and ruin the country's future. We extend our hand for the thousandth time and are ready for dialogue," the president said.
He also emphasized that he does not consider students guilty of what happened, calling them "misled."
Despite promising to step down as head of state, Vucic made it clear that he does not intend to end his political career. He said he will help the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and its leader Milos Vucevic win the early elections.
The president also proposed naming the joint electoral list of the ruling coalition "United Serbia." Experts do not rule out that after the elections, the politician could return to power as prime minister.
During his speech, Vucic promised to continue the fight against corruption and carry out large-scale social reforms. Among his promises are raising pensions this year, additional support for low-income families, reducing the cost of medicines, and reforming the education and healthcare systems.
According to him, the average salary in Serbia should reach 1,400 euros in two years, and the average pension — 650 euros.
Furthermore, Vucic confirmed that Serbia will continue its path toward the European Union but does not intend to sever ties with Russia and China.
Recall that in February 2026, the Serbian president paid an official visit to Astana, where President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Aleksandar Vucic agreed on partnership in IT, energy, and the launch of new flights.