Serbian president hospitalised with heart problems

BELGRADE: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been hospitalised with “cardiovascular problems”, his office said Saturday. “The President Aleksandar Vucic was accepted in the military hospital in Belgrade on November 15 late afternoon,” his office said in a short statement. His media advisor, Suzana Vasiljevic, said “he is ok now”. His condition “is stable”, she told AFP, declining to provide further details. It was first time it has been officially disclosed that Vucic, 49, has heart problems. Local media have earlier reported that Vucic had high blood pressure. Vucic, an ultra-nationalist turned pro-European, was elected president in 2017, but has been a powerful figure in the country´s politics since 2012 when his Serbian Progressive Party won elections. He was prime minister from 2014 to 2017. According to the Serbian constitution, the post of president is largely ceremonial, but Vucic is a key decision maker for most issues in the country. Opposition, international and local non-governmental organisations have regularly accused Vucic of authoritarian style of rule, including curbing media freedoms and undermining institutions.