Serbian prime minister resigns, after months of anti-corruption protests

BELGRADE: Students in Serbia vowed to continue protesting even after Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation on Tuesday, following weeks of mass demonstrations over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.

The Balkan country has been rocked by regular protests in the wake of the deadly disaster at the train station in the northern city of Novi Sad that killed 15 people, following extensive renovations at the facility.

The collapse has ignited long-standing anger across Serbia over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight on construction projects.

“My irrevocable decision is to resign from the position of prime minister,” Vucevic told a press conference in Belgrade, following a meeting with President Aleksandar Vucic.

“In order to avoid further complicating things, so we do not further raise tensions in society, I made this decision.”

Before taking up an earlier government post in Belgrade, Vucevic had served as mayor of Novi Sad from 2012 to 2022, during which time renovations began at the train station.

The prime minister has been in office for less than a year.

More than a dozen people have been charged in connection with the Novi Sad accident, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after it occurred.

Shortly after Vucevic resigned, Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric said he also would be stepping down.

“Resigning is not an expression of weakness or retreat in the face of challenges, but an act of assuming responsibility and opening space for the restoration of trust among people,” the mayor said in a statement posted on social media.

Tensions have simmered in Serbia in recent weeks with violence breaking out at some protests, with students accusing pro-government hooligans of targeting demonstrations.