Embattled Serbian President Not Running In Elections

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BELGRADE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, facing protests over his perceived authoritarian style, says he does not intend to run in the next presidential election.

Vucic made the announcement on Wednesday after talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, following violent rallies against his rule in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Officials said nearly 70 people were injured in the overnight protests, including 16 police officers. Several people were reportedly detained.

It was the latest in a series of rallies involving thousands after the canopy of the central railway station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed in November onto a busy pavement below, killing 16 people and severely injuring one more.

The station building was constructed in 1964 and was renovated from 2021 to mid-2024 with support from China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but protesters view it as another case of corruption.

“I am a political veteran; I can no longer run for president,” Vucic stressed.

He pledged to end his presidential career “in a year and a half” and insisted he had no plans to change the country’s Constitution to remain in power. In addition, he agreed to allow early elections for the Serbian parliament.

GREATER PROGRESS

The move comes amid mounting pressure on Vucic to allow more democratic reforms, as critics voice concerns over his perceived close ties with the leaderships of China and Russia.

Austrian Chancellor Stocker said in Belgrade that he would support reforms in Serbia, which seeks to join the European Union.

“The greater the progress, the greater the steps toward the European Union,” he told reporters after meeting Vucic.

Stocker noted that Serbia and Austria are connected by common history and people. “The Serb community in Austria includes more than 300,000 people; they are an important segment of our society, and it cannot be imagined without them. Accordingly, our economic relations are a strong foundation of partnership,” he said.

Austria is the third-largest investor in Serbia, with more than 800 companies providing around 25,000 jobs, the chancellor added.

Stocker emphasized that stability in the Western Balkans “is vital for Austria and the EU” and that it is essential to protect the region from “destabilization attempts.”

The Austrian chancellor visited Belgrade on Wednesday, August 13, and met Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut. Vucic is a close ally of both Putin and Hungary’s pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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