Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has resigned from his position. He signed the resignation letter, as reported by RBK citing a live broadcast by Serbia Danas.
Addressing citizens in front of the presidential palace in Belgrade, Vucic said: "No matter how much we do, I know that we have made many mistakes, and I personally made those mistakes. I am grateful to the citizens who twice gave me enormous trust and thereby entrusted me with the highest duty and responsibility a person can bear."
Ana Brnabic, Speaker of the Serbian Parliament (Skupstina), will be appointed as acting head of state. Vucic added that the first round of presidential elections should be held by the end of December.
"Why did I do this? After all, I could have gone to the elections as the incumbent president. Even many of my friends, leaders of foreign countries, asked in surprise: 'Why are you doing this? Why are you leaving the position?'" he emphasized. He stated that he considers this decision fair.
"Those who constantly raised the alarm about violence in society always avoided dialogue. Those who fought most resolutely for unity of opinion always talked about it, but never wanted to listen to those who thought differently. I offered dialogue four or five years ago, two or three years ago, and a year ago," Vucic said.
Vucic announced his intention to hand over his powers on September 11. He said he planned to resign after his visit to the US concluded. He also noted that under Serbian law he is not obliged to leave office before the start of the election campaign, but this is his personal decision.
Aleksandar Vucic has held the presidency of Serbia since May 31, 2017. In 2022, he was re-elected for a second term, and his mandate was to expire on May 31, 2027. According to the Serbian Constitution, a person cannot be elected president more than twice (presidential term — 5 years). Before his presidency, Vucic served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017.
In early September, the Serbian government approved an initiative by Prime Minister Djuro Macut and proposed that Vucic dissolve parliament. "Elections have never been a sign of state weakness. Elections are proof of the inflexible strength of a free and democratic Serbia," Macut stated.
Earlier, the chairman of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SPP), Milos Vucevic, announced that Vucic would lead the party list in the upcoming parliamentary elections and would be its candidate for prime minister. The president himself explained that he is resigning before the elections because he intends to participate in the campaign for the republican parliament "as an ordinary citizen."
Early parliamentary elections in Serbia are scheduled for October 25. Vucic announced their holding in December 2025 after prolonged protests in the country. One of the main demands of the protesters was to hold early elections to the legislative body. Serbian authorities suspect that external forces may be behind the protests.
Source: www.gazeta.uz