The President of Serbia indicates there may be an early election after the Prime Minister stepped down due to protests

After the prime minister resigned amid continuing protests, the president of Serbia has alluded to a sudden election.

The resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Tuesday, amid growing anti-government rallies, prompted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to allude to the potential for a quick election in April.

The highest-ranking official to leave since the devastating roof collapse at a Novi Sad railway station last November, which claimed 15 lives and triggered months of public protests, is Vucevic. 

Discontent has grown as a result of the tragedy. 

The opposition is now demanding an interim government to seize power in place of Vucic’s administration.

Vucic stated in a televised speech on Tuesday night that his party will hold a quick parliamentary election or build a majority administration in ten days. 

“An interim government is not an option,” Vucic stated, adding that the fresh election may take place in April.

Vucic’s remarks mark a substantial change from his earlier position, given that his party had won a 2023 snap election with ease. Nonetheless, protests that were first started in Novi Sad have now expanded to Belgrade, indicating that pressure has been increasing in recent weeks. 

Thousands of workers, teachers, and students have joined the demonstrations, blamed poor management for the train station tragedy, and accused the administration of corruption.

The event has already led to the resignation of the ministries of infrastructure, transportation, and construction as well as the commerce minister, but demonstrations have not stopped.

“I chose this course of action to alleviate tensions,” Vucevic stated during a press conference announcing his resignation. The mayor of Novi Sad will also resign, he added. “This satisfies every demand made by the most radical demonstrators.”

But the demonstrations’ student organizers weren’t placated.

In a post on X, Lazar Stojakovic of Belgrade University’s Faculty of Organizational Science stated, “Those who have been escalating tensions for the past 13 years are now attempting to soothe them.”