The Serbian PM Resigns Amid Mounting Protests

     The Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, resigned on January 28 after three months of nationwide protests, stating that he did so to "not further raise tensions in society." The demonstrations began on December 22, 2024, when nearly 100,000 people took to the streets, just 21 days after a canopy collapse at the central railway station in Novi Sad killed 15 people. Since then, the country has been shaken by ongoing protests, initially sparked by students and later joined by workers, teachers, and farmers. Mounting public pressure forced government officials to resign—Vučević’s departure was not the first. In November 2024, Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Goran Vasić, along with Minister of Internal and External Trade Tomislav Momirović, had already stepped down.

     While the initial outrage focused on inadequate construction safety measures, the three-month protest movement evolved into a broader expression of dissatisfaction with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Protesters demanded greater transparency in large-scale infrastructure projects initiated with a Chinese-led consortium and called on the government to take responsibility for the disaster. The populist-conservative administration also faced accusations of bribing voters, corruption, violence against the opposition, restricting media freedom, and ties to organized crime—allegations Vučević denied. In response, authorities charged 13 individuals, including the former transport minister, over the incident. Meanwhile, Vučević attempted to quell public anger by addressing some student demands, such as publishing all renovation documents related to the railway station. However, these concessions failed to appease the demonstrators.

     The protests were marred by violence, with several demonstrators reportedly attacked by individuals linked to the ruling party, and four protesters were detained by police. Past demonstrations had also seen violent incidents, including cases where protesters were struck by vehicles, leaving two students seriously injured. In response, Monday’s blockade in Belgrade drew tens of thousands of participants, with farmers on tractors and bikers stepping in to help protect the protesters.
Ultimately, the relentless pressure from the streets proved overwhelming. "The mayor of Novi Sad and I consider ourselves objectively responsible for what happened in Novi Sad, and for that, we are willingly paying the political price," Vučević stated upon resigning.

     President Aleksandar Vučić stated that he accepted the prime minister’s resignation reluctantly because he "did not do anything wrong". The president also announced that the fate of the government would be decided within ten days but rejected the opposition’s demand for an interim government.