BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serbian government on Monday proposed dissolving Parliament, setting in motion a procedure for scheduling an early parliamentary election that could see President Aleksandar Vucic switch to the post of prime minister.
The vote is seen as a test of Vucic’s tight rule in Serbia after over a year of mass street protests. It will be held in an atmosphere of heightened political tensions as ruling populists seek to hold on to power despite widespread popular discontent.
Vucic is expected to formally set the date later this week. He has said that the ballot likely will be held on Oct. 25.
Protests in Serbia started after a train station tragedy on Nov. 1, 2024, in northern Serbia killed 16 people. The protesters demanded accountability for the concrete canopy collapse in Novi Sad and an end to corruption they believed was the cause for bad renovation work.
More than a year of demonstrations sometimes drawing hundreds of thousands of people shook Vucic more than ever during his 14 years in power. The president and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have been accused of curbing democratic freedoms and of ties to organized crime, which he has denied. Serbia’s bid to join the European Union has stalled under Vucic, who has maintained close ties with Russia and China.
Vucic has faced additional EU pressure recently over public homage to war criminal Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander who was buried as a hero in Serbia despite a U.N. court conviction.
Vucic has said he would resign the post so he can join the campaign for the parliamentary vote. He cannot run for the presidency again after serving two almost full terms. An early presidential election will be held separately.
Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters, sparking international concern over police violence and arbitrary detentions. He has accused the students and professors behind the protests of an intention to “destroy the state.”
The student-backed election list for Parliament is expected to include university professors and experts.
The populists have gradually taken over Serbia’s institutions and mainstream media after coming to power in 2012.
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