Vučić resigns as Serbian president to run for prime minister

Aleksandar Vučić has resigned as president of Serbia to enter the campaign for prime minister, opening a new chapter in his long political dominance but also intensifying concerns among opponents and protesters that he is seeking to preserve his grip on power by moving between the country’s top offices.

Vučić announced his resignation in an address to the nation on Sunday, saying he would hand over the presidential duties to parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for 25 October, while presidential elections must be held separately following his resignation.

“I am a politician who stands on my own two feet,” Vučić said in an earlier CNN interview, rejecting suggestions that his move represented a sign of creeping authoritarianism. He said he would enter a “very tough” political race and accept the result if voters chose his opponents.

His decision comes after nearly two years of student-led and anti-government protests, which began following the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024 that killed 16 people. The demonstrations have grown into the most significant challenge to Vučić’s rule since his Serbian Progressive Party came to power.

Protesters have demanded accountability over the Novi Sad disaster, an end to corruption and greater institutional independence. Opposition groups and civil society organisations have also accused Vučić and his allies of restricting media freedom, using violence or pressure against opponents and concentrating political power. Vučić and his allies reject the accusations.

The political crisis has also raised broader questions about the strength of Serbia’s democratic institutions. Serbia’s mainstream media have increasingly come under government influence, while the country ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index. Critics have also raised concerns over recent judicial reforms, arguing that they could weaken prosecutorial and judicial independence.

Serbia’s declared ambition to join the European Union also adds another layer to the political debate. Belgrade continues to present EU membership as a strategic goal, but Brussels has repeatedly linked progress in the accession process to reforms in the rule of law, democratic institutions and electoral standards. In June, European Council President António Costa said that the pace of Serbia’s progress depended on its own resolve, while EU diplomats later failed to reach agreement on opening another accession cluster, with several member states citing concerns over reforms and democratic standards.

Against that backdrop, Vučić’s decision to leave the presidency only to seek the premiership has been viewed by his opponents as a way of remaining at the centre of political power rather than withdrawing from public life.

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The move has also drawn comparisons with other leaders who have moved between presidency and premiership. Asked by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria about comparisons with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also alternated between the two offices, Vučić rejected the comparison.

“This was done by European Union President Rumen Radev three months ago,” Vučić said, referring to Bulgaria’s former president, who stepped down to enter parliamentary politics and subsequently became prime minister.

Vučić argued that moving from one office to another was constitutionally permitted and said that it was unfair to treat his decision differently.

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The comparison with Putin nevertheless reflects the central political question surrounding Vučić’s move: whether changing offices will amount to a meaningful change in the distribution of power.

Vučić has been Serbia’s dominant political figure for more than a decade. He served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017 before becoming president, a post he has held since then. He cannot seek another presidential term under Serbia’s constitutional two-term limit, making a return to the premiership his route to remaining directly in government.

In his resignation speech, Vučić focused heavily on his record in office, highlighting a fall in unemployment and the reduction of public debt. He said unemployment had stood at 25.9% in 2012 and youth unemployment at 54%, while public debt had since fallen from 79% of GDP to around 43%.

He also pointed to the opening of more than 300 factories and plants during his years in power and argued that Serbia had undergone substantial economic development.

But the economic record has increasingly competed with questions over governance. The protests that followed the Novi Sad station collapse have continued to challenge the government, while the student movement has now entered the electoral race ahead of the October vote.

Vučić has portrayed the demonstrations as part of a broader attempt to destabilise the country, while protesters have insisted that their demands are domestic and centred on accountability and functioning institutions.

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Sources: EUalive’s partners BGNES and BETA, CNN, b92.net, n1info.rs, Reuters

Caption: A handout photo made available by the Serbian Presidency shows supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a gathering ahead of his resignation in Belgrade, Serbia, 27 September 2026. Vucic announced his resignation ahead of the 25 October 2026 parliamentary elections, paving the way for the Speaker of the National Assembly to assume acting presidential duties as stipulated by the Serbian Constitution. EPA/DIMITRIJE GOLL / SERBIAN PRESIDENCY