Serbian PM Quits, Appeals For Calm As Anti-Corruption Protests Surge

Serbia’s populist Prime Minister Milos Vučević has announced that he is stepping down following weeks of massive anti-corruption protests over the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy in November, Jovana Gec reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Vučević’s resignation is expected to trigger an early parliamentary election. I Photo: Milos Vučević Wikimedia Commons

The collapse, which killed 15 people in the northern city of Novi Sad, has become a focal point of widespread discontent over the increasingly authoritarian rule of Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vučić.

Although Vučić has formally pursued European Union (EU) membership for Serbia, he has been accused of curbing democratic freedoms in the country.

Vučević told a news conference that his resignation was intended to ease tensions. “This is my appeal for everyone to calm down and return to dialogue,” he said.

He also announced that Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić would step down. Vučević’s resignation is expected to trigger an early parliamentary election. Serbia’s parliament has 30 days to confirm a new government or call a snap election.