Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns to run for prime minister

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has resigned to run for prime minister on his Serbian Progressive Party's ticket in a snap parliamentary election on October 25. Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics as president or prime minister since 2014, is barred from a third presidential term. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a close ally, becomes acting president. The move follows nearly two years of student-led protests triggered by the November 1, 2024 collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people. Vucic said one of his final acts in office was to pardon 49 people, 23 of them convicted over the protests.