Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Tuesday that he would call early elections for October 25; the move is intended to strengthen his position on the political stage after nearly two years of student protests and allow him to take the office of prime minister, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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On Monday, the Serbian government asked Vučić to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
"The elections will be held on October 25," Vučić said on the central news program of the state broadcaster RTS, adding that he would officially announce the decision at noon on Wednesday.
The publication notes that this would allow Vučić — whose candidacy for the post of prime minister was put forward by the Serbian Progressive Party on Saturday — to try to restore his authority after protests that have posed a serious challenge to his rule.
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The next parliamentary elections in Serbia were not due to be held until December 2027. However, after nearly two years of student protests, Vučić announced his intention to hold an early vote.
Vučić, who has led the country as either president or prime minister for 12 years, has faced anti-corruption demonstrations sparked by the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people.
The opposition and protesters accuse Vučić and his associates of violence against political opponents, corruption, links to organized crime, and suppressing media freedom; Vučić and his supporters reject these accusations.