Thousands of protesters packed the streets of the central Serbian city of Kraljevo on Sunday, refusing to ease pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic even after he promised to resign and pave the way for early elections.

Vucic announced at a rally in Belgrade on Saturday that he would step down within weeks, a move that would formally end the dominance of the man who has run Serbia as either president or prime minister for 12 years.

However, there was little relief among the thousands rallying in Kraljevo. Under Serbian law, Vucic cannot seek another presidential term, and many protesters and analysts expect him to switch to the more powerful office of prime minister, handing the presidency to a loyal ally and retaining his grip on power.

Far from sounding defeated, Vucic struck a combative tone at the Belgrade gathering, predicting that his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party, which has governed for 14 years, would “win more convincingly than ever before” at the next elections. He set no date for his departure or the elections, leaving opponents uncertain.

The competing rallies laid bare a deeply divided country. At the heart of the anger is a disaster in late 2024, when the roof of a railway station collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Protesters blame the tragedy on corruption and shoddy work on state construction projects, seeing it as a symbol of a rotten and unaccountable government.

Vucic denies any corruption and has repeatedly cast protesters as “foreign agents” bent on toppling him. The campaign has grown into the largest wave of protests since Serbians overthrew authoritarian leader Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

Police have arrested hundreds of people during months of unrest, drawing accusations from the European Union that officers acted brutally and detained demonstrators without proper grounds.

Source: www.aljazeera.com