BELGRADE, June 27 (Reuters) - Serbia's populist president Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday he will resign within weeks and announced early presidential and parliamentary elections.
Vucic's announcement came after a year-and-a-half of anti-corruption protests, led by students, that swept across the country, following the collapse of an awning at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad in which 16 people died.
Days ago in the city of Novi Sad, students marked the 2024 deaths and demanded
snap general elections.
"I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign," Vucic told his supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade. Vucic's second and last mandate expires in mid-2027.
Vucic also said he would help his Serbian Progressive Party win elections, including the early parliamentary vote, originally set for 2027. He did not specify when he would resign nor when he could dissolve parliament, a precondition for early parliamentary elections.
Protesters, opposition and rights groups allege the railway station disaster was a sign of broader government mismanagement of construction projects and corruption. Activists from the student-led movement say they want to challenge Vucic and SNS in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
