Demonstrations erupted after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Protestors have demanded accountability over the disaster and called for early parliamentary elections.
On Monday, Prime Minister Đuro Macut asked Vučić to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. “If we want to mitigate tensions in society there is no better way than to ask people,” Macut said.
Vučić, who has been in power as president or prime minister for 12 years, has faced calls to step down since the 2023 parliamentary elections, amid allegations of electoral fraud. His second and final term as president is set to end in 2027 and his powers will not expire with the dissolution of parliament.
In June, Vučić said he would resign as president “within weeks,” but his ambitions to remain in power continue. His Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has nominated him for prime minister if the party secures a majority in the upcoming snap election.
Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2012, but its bid has stalled over concerns about democratic backsliding in Belgrade and its refusal to sanction Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.