Serbia’s Populist Vucic to Run for Prime Minister After Resigning as President

Serbian populist President Aleksandar Vucic on Sept. 28 launched a bid to become prime minister in an upcoming early parliamentary election in the Balkan country after resigning as president.

The Serbian Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Vucic’s second term was set to end next May, but he stood down on Sunday.

The prime minister in Serbia is formally more powerful than the president, although Vucic, 56, took a dominant role during his two five-year presidential terms. He presided at times over government sessions and often announced important decisions and plans.

In June, he announced his intention to step down to lead his nationalist Serbian Progressive Party in the Oct. 25 parliamentary election, in a test of his public appeal following almost two years of protests.

The acting president will be Ana Brnabic, the former prime minister and outgoing speaker of Serbia’s 250-member Parliament. She is a close ally of Vucic.

‘New Victories Await Us’

Before formally resigning, Vucic addressed his supporters outside the presidential palace in Belgrade, saying, “Tonight is a very special occasion for me, my last evening in this beautiful building.”

“But I look to the future with joy. New victories await us,” he told the crowd. “Let’s beat them more convincingly than ever before.”

Serbia’s efforts to join the European Union have stalled under Vucic, in part because the government refused to join global sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine and alleged democratic backsliding.

The struggle for justice and accountability in the face of corruption has evolved into a youth-led movement that seeks to oust Vucic’s government after 14 years in power.

Vucic himself has been either prime minister or president for the past 12 years, with his strategic resignation seen as a carefully planned maneuver to retain power and boost his party’s chances against the student movement.

In recent weeks, Vucic has toured the country in a tour covered by pro-government media, opening new roads, offering assistance money and cheaper medicines, and visiting voters in their homes.

A supporter of then-Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic holds his photo during a rally in Belgrade, Serbia, April 12, 2025. AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File

Claims of Corruption

The Independent Bureau for Social Research, or BIRODI, has filed a complaint alleging that Vucic has abused a public institution as president to promote his party—a claim he has dismissed, after being elected on an anti-graft pledge.

Since coming to power in 2012, Vucic and his party have been accused of widespread corruption, organized crime links and of orchestrating a clampdown on democratic freedoms, including the media.

Analysts predict a tight race, with polls showing that the student group and Vucic are neck and neck.

Also running are Vucic’s allies in the Socialist Party, a pro-EU opposition alliance known as European Serbia, and several smaller groups.

Vucic supports his country joining the EU, although he has said the process will inevitably be long, and has sought to maintain good relations with Russia and China.

Criticism From Brussels

Mladic died in U.N. custody on Aug. 27, aged 84, while serving a life sentence for war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1992–1995 civil war following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

He had been the Bosnian Serb commander and was convicted of killing thousands of Bosnian Muslims as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign.

European Commission ‌President Ursula von der Leyen said ‌on Sept. 8 that she was dismayed by images from Mladic’s funeral in Belgrade, and said it could undermine Serbia’s hopes of joining the bloc.

In his resignation speech, Vucic praised his government’s achievements.

“I have made mistakes, but I have worked diligently like hardly anyone in this position,” he said.

People gather for the funeral procession for former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 7, 2026. Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Vucic said he had pardoned 49 people before leaving the office, including 23 who had been prosecuted for alleged offenses during the protests. They include a group of anti-government activists who fled Serbia after being accused of anti-state activities.

Authorities have clamped down on protesters as Vucic accused his opponents and critical media of wanting to “destroy the state” and working under foreign influence.

He told Serbia’s state-run RTS Television earlier on Sunday that foreign powers and unidentified people in the country are planning to stir up unrest on election night.

The first round of the early presidential election must be held by the end of this year because of a 90-day deadline.

Vucic said that as of Monday, he will be campaigning “everywhere in Serbia to listen to the people.”

The Associated Press and Chris Summers contributed to this report