Aleksandar Vucic Resigns Presidency to Run for Prime Minister
Aleksandar Vucic resigned as president of Serbia on September 27 to seek the prime ministership in snap elections scheduled for October 25.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned his office on September 27, 2026, to run for prime minister in snap parliamentary elections on October 25. Because the Serbian Constitution prohibits him from seeking a third presidential term, the resignation allows Vucic to maintain executive power by transitioning to the head of government role. Ana Brnabic, the speaker of Parliament, will serve as interim president until December.
The resignation follows nearly two years of student-led protests triggered by a 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. While Vucic claims the unrest is orchestrated by foreign forces, opponents accuse his administration of corruption. Vucic has pledged to pardon jailed activists as a gesture of reconciliation ahead of the vote, where his party faces a tight race against the youth-backed Student List-Students Win movement.
Immediately preceding his resignation, Vucic held diplomatic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 26. The leaders discussed extending a gas agreement that expires on September 30, which allows Serbia to pay a discounted rate of €318 per 1,000 cubic meters. They also addressed the status of the Petroleum Industry of Serbia, which faces the expiration of a US sanctions waiver on September 30 due to majority Russian ownership.
