Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić Announces Early Parliamentary Elections for October 25
3 sources across 3 countries · Germany · Hungary · Latvia
Who reported this
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Telex
- Meduza
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Tuesday evening that early parliamentary elections will be held on October 25. Speaking on the public broadcaster RTS, Vučić stated that he would sign decrees on Wednesday noon to dissolve the National Assembly and call for the elections. The Serbian government had previously proposed the dissolution of the parliament during an extraordinary session on Monday. Vučić urged all participants in the upcoming campaign to avoid violence and focus on the needs of citizens, stating that he would accept any democratic result and congratulate his opponents if they win.
The decision follows a period of intense political instability. Mass protests have continued in Serbia since November 2024, following a tragedy in Novi Sad where the collapse of a railway station canopy killed 16 people. Demonstrators have cited widespread corruption as a cause of the accident and have demanded the resignation of the country's leaders. While the next regular parliamentary elections were not scheduled until December 2027, Vučić had previously hinted at early elections in August and mentioned a potential resignation in June.
Vučić is expected to run for prime minister under the list named Aleksandar Vučić United Serbia. He previously served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017 before becoming president. Because the Serbian constitution prevents him from seeking another presidential term after his current one expires in May 2027, a move to the premiership would allow him to remain in power. Center leaning coverage describes this as a strategy to maintain power in a different form despite public dissatisfaction, while center right coverage frames the move as a response to long standing opposition demands for new elections.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Focused on the timeline of the announcement and the context of the protests and previous resignation promises.
- Centre
- Framed the elections as a potential maneuver by Vučić to retain power in a different form despite widespread public dissatisfaction.
- Centre-right
- Framed the announcement as a way to clear the path for new elections that had been demanded by the opposition.
Sources
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Date set: Vučić clears the way for new elections on October 25
- Centre-left Meduza: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says early parliamentary elections will be held on October 25, more than a year ahead of schedule
- Centre Telex: Vučić announced that early parliamentary elections will be held in Serbia in the autumn, in which he will run
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.