The resignation of Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, occurring three months after the tragic canopy collapse in Novi Sad that resulted in 15 fatalities, alongside ongoing protests and student blockades, is being perceived by some analysts and opposition figures as “another coup by the authorities” in Belgrade and as an effort by President Aleksandar Vučić to reassert control.

During a press conference last night, Vučić stated that a decision regarding the potential for elections or the formation of a new government would be made within the next ten days. He expressed openness to both options and noted that following the Prime Minister’s resignation, the Serbian Parliament would address this matter, with a 30-day period set for the election of a new government.

“If not, then we go to elections,” Vučić emphasized, insisting that there would be no transitional-technical government, contrary to some opposition leaders’ suggestions.

The Serbian President remarked that Vučević’s resignation represents “a responsible and serious action.” He indicated that Vučević, also president of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, has begun discussions with coalition partners regarding these developments.

Vučević’s resignation followed an incident where a group of men attacked students in the city with baseball bats, injuring one girl. This assault occurred just hours after Vučić had called for dialogue and societal calm on Monday.

The students have accused members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of being responsible for the attacks, leading to the police detaining four suspects.

While confirming that SNS attackers were involved in the assault, Vučević accused the protesters of demonizing Progressive Party officials, branding them as murderers over several months. Both he and Vučić reiterated unverified claims suggesting that the protests were instigated from external sources. “It was certainly planned from abroad, despicably executed, targeting education (…). Despite our appeals for calmness, incidents keep arising as though orchestrated by an invisible hand creating unrest,” Vučević stated.

Milan Đurić, the Mayor of Novi Sad, also submitted his resignation yesterday.

Vučević’s and Đurić’s resignations, alongside the demand for complete transparency regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station, were primary requests from the opposition and students in the wake of the deadly accident. Vučić claimed last night that all demands of the protesters had been satisfied.

Analysts suggest that Vučić likely anticipated that the resignation of Vučević, the country’s highest-ranking official, would be sufficient to quell public dissatisfaction and regain control over the protests.

“Alternatively, he might opt for early elections, aiming to regain control of the narrative and take advantage of the fractured and diverse social movement fueling the protests,” stated Marta Špala, a senior fellow at the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw.

The timing of an early election could potentially favor Vučić, according to Špala, who commented to the British Guardian that he might seek to leverage the lack of a robust, unified opposition structure capable of challenging him, especially since the opposition anticipated elections would not occur until 2027.

Political analyst Dragomir Andjelkovic opined that Vučević’s resignation represents “a new setback for the government,” rather than an acknowledgment of responsibility for the societal issues. He indicated that Vučević blamed foreign influences for societal divisions, implying the current government’s innocence regarding the political crisis.

“Vučević positioned the students negatively, attributing their actions to foreign meddling, while claiming the government has only made minor mistakes,” Anđelković elaborated, asserting that Vučević’s resignation is a manipulative tactic by the government to allow Vučić to appear as a proponent of national consensus. Moving forward, he might offer deceptive negotiations regarding elections and other false concessions,” he assessed.

He further stated that fair elections are unattainable under the current SNS conditions. “Vučić is attempting to delay by assuming public discontent will diminish. Vučević’s resignation should be regarded as a fresh challenge, and protests by students and citizens need to persist. This resignation should not be interpreted as a government weakness, but rather as an orchestrated deception,” Anđelković remarked.

According to him, the opposition must reject any proposed elections until all student demands are fulfilled.

In the wake of Vučević’s resignation, the president and vice-president of the opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Dragan Đilas and Marinika Tepić, announced that no discussions regarding new elections will take place until student demands are met in full. Đilas stated on social media that without addressing all student concerns, “there can be no discussions about elections, let alone actual elections.”

“Only after that will we consider the establishment of a transitional government designed to lay the groundwork for elections,” Đilas added.

Tepić reiterated that addressing the students’ demands is paramount, followed by improving electoral conditions through a transitional government, ultimately leading to elections.

Protests and blockades persisted across Serbia last night, with students and citizens congregating in front of the University of Belgrade Rectorate building, on Student Square, to support fellow students attacked in Novi Sad. The gathered demonstrators wielded banners declaring “Belgrade stands with Novi Sad”, “Your batons will not intimidate”, “Your hands are stained with blood”, and “Crime goes unpunished.”

In Novi Sad, thousands of students protested yesterday in response to the assault on their colleagues. During the demonstrations, protesters blocked roads and key intersections across the city, carrying banners reading “Dialogue” alongside an illustration of a bloody baseball bat, symbolizing the recent violence and previous governmental calls for dialogue, alongside slogans such as “Enough blood”, “Now you’re finished!” and chanting demands for “Arrest Vučić!” and “Prison for you, resignation and prison!”

“Those who have fueled tensions for 13 years now attempt to quell them,” remarked Lazar Stojaković from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Belgrade on the X platform.

“Your efforts will fail; you assaulted us, ran us down with cars, and brutalized our comrades in Novi Sad. We will meet again on the streets.”

Demonstrations were also conducted in Niš, Kragujevac, Čačak, and Zrenjanin.

The resignation of the Serbian Prime Minister made headlines globally yesterday, with the AP agency positing that this development likely foreshadows early parliamentary elections. Reuters noted that Vučić is considered a key player internationally due to Serbia’s historical relations with both Russia and the West, with Serbia currently a candidate for European Union membership.

The European Commission acknowledged yesterday having been informed about the resignation of Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, opting to refrain from commenting, citing it as an internal matter. Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier expressed that EU institutions are closely monitoring the current political landscape in Serbia, including the mobilization of students and other activist groups.

Mercier also emphasized that the freedom of assembly is a fundamental EU right requiring protection and should be exercised peacefully, in accordance with the rule of law and public order. “We are concerned about the assaults on demonstrators and expect the Serbian authorities to investigate these incidents,” he stated.

Some analysts highlight the broader implications of the protests, interpreting them as indicative of potential shifts in the political dynamics within the Balkans.

“Reports suggest that even judges and high-ranking civil servants have reportedly left their posts to support the protesters,” observed Edward Joseph, a former US diplomat at Johns Hopkins University, in his comments to the Guardian. “The atmosphere of intimidation appears to have dissipated. In the deteriorating democracies of the Balkans, people still possess the power to demand accountability.”

Porfirije outraged by the assault on a female student

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) distanced itself yesterday from the views articulated in a statement on its official website the previous day, which claimed that students “live in parallel universes.” The church clarified that the text represented the personal perspective of the author and does not reflect the views of SPC Patriarch Porfirije.

In a statement released yesterday, Porfirije expressed his disgust upon learning that a third student had sustained serious injuries since the onset of student protests, demanding that responsibility for these actions be established.

“I am appalled to learn that yet another student has been grievously injured, this time in the already afflicted Novi Sad. I anticipate that all those accountable for these and related crimes will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” Porfirije stated through the Serbian Orthodox Church.

He emphasized that violence has never yielded positive outcomes and is fundamentally contrary to Christian principles, making it unacceptable, particularly against “our students.”

“It is crucial for each of us to act immediately to halt hatred and conflict. The greatest responsibility rests with those wielding the most power,” Porfirije remarked.

Picula: There is no invisible hand; Vučić is under domestic pressure

Croatian MEP Tonino Picula, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, indicated yesterday that the collapse of the Serbian government arises from increasing domestic pressure on Vučić rather than external influences.

“The downfalls faced by the Serbian government are the result of rising pressure from a spontaneously mobilized domestic public led by students, not by some ‘invisible hand’ of foreign entities, as suggested by the outgoing prime minister. In fact, several influential politicians from EU member states, alongside the president of the Commission, have openly supported the Serbian president,” Picula informed the Croatian news agency Hina. He concluded by stating that it remains uncertain whether “support for autocracy will persist even after the apparent disintegration of the current governance model in Serbia.”

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