Aleksandar Vučić to resume Serbia’s prime‑minister post after early elections

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that, following early parliamentary elections slated for later this year, he will step down from the largely ceremonial presidency and return to the prime‑minister position he vacated a decade ago. In an interview, Vučić said the elections will be held by early December at the latest, after which presidential polls are expected.

He pledged to intensify efforts to integrate the Western Balkans into the European Union as a single bloc, criticizing the current EU approach of evaluating countries individually. Serbia has been an EU candidate since 2012, but accession talks have stalled during Vučić’s 13‑year rule. Opponents accuse him of authoritarianism and corruption and argue the EU has not exerted enough pressure for democratic reforms. Vučić’s political challenges intensified after the 2024 Novi Sad railway station roof collapse that killed 16 people and sparked months of anti‑government protests.