Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has dissolved his country’s parliament and announced snap elections for the end of October as he seeks to assert control over the febrile political situation in the country.
“I am convinced that the citizens of Serbia will choose the right path into the future,” Vučić said Wednesday, adding that “preserving our democratic system” and avoiding divisions were his priorities. The snap elections will take place on Oct. 25, according to reports in Serbian media.
Vučić acknowledged “turbulence” in Serbian society but blamed “significant interference by foreign powers” for inspiring student-led anti-corruption protests that have fueled the country’s political turmoil over the past two years.
Demonstrations erupted after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Protestors have demanded accountability over the disaster and called for early parliamentary elections.
On Monday, Prime Minister Đuro Macut asked Vučić to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. “If we want to mitigate tensions in society there is no better way than to ask people,” Macut said.
Vučić, who has been in power as president or prime minister for 12 years, has faced calls to step down since the 2023 parliamentary elections, amid allegations of electoral fraud. His second and final term as president is set to end in 2027 and his powers will not expire with the dissolution of parliament.
In June, Vučić said he would resign as president “within weeks,” but his ambitions to remain in power continue. His Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has nominated him for prime minister if the party secures a majority in the upcoming snap election.
Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2012, but its bid has stalled over concerns about democratic backsliding in Belgrade and its refusal to sanction Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.