Serbian Prime Minister, Milos Vucecic, announced his resignation on Tuesday following nearly three months of widespread protests stemming from the deadly collapse of a newly renovated canopy at Novi Sad station.
"My irrevocable decision is to resign from the position of Prime Minister," Vucecic declared at a press conference. He has held this position since May 2024, after several years as Minister of Defence.
"I had a long meeting with the president this morning. We discussed everything, and he accepted my arguments," he added. "To avoid further complications and to prevent increasing societal tensions, I have decided to resign."
Vucecic, who served as the mayor of Novi Sad from 2012 to 2022, oversaw the renovation of the Novi Sad station. The project was completed just months before the accident that killed 15 people.
Since the 1 November 2024 accident, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Serbia. They blame the disaster on corruption and negligence by the authorities, who have initiated numerous large projects under nationalist President Aleksandar Vucic, in power since 2012.
In response, the government has alternated between calls for dialogue and accusations of foreign interference, without halting the protests. Recently, there have been calls for a general strike. Tensions have risen after an incident in which a car drove into a student protest. On Monday night in Novi Sad, a young woman was injured during a clash between students and members of the ruling nationalist SNS party.
"This is an unacceptable act that deserves condemnation in every sense. I expect the perpetrators to be arrested," the resigning Prime Minister Vucecic commented.
