Serbian President rules out snap elections if “major crisis” looming in world

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that there will be no early elections if it turns out that a “major crisis” is looming in the world, stressing that “the interests of the state and its citizens come above all,” but he does not rule out calling them if he assesses that the situation is stabilizing.

In recent days, Vučić invited representatives of parliamentary parties and coalitions to consultations, which most of them—mainly from the pro-European opposition—did not attend, CE Report quotes HINA.

He said his intention was to establish dialogue, believing that conversation is crucial to easing tensions and creating an atmosphere in which “others” are not enemies, but merely political rivals.

A months-long political and social crisis in the country emerged during and after mass anti-government protests, triggered by the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a canopy at the building of a reconstructed railway station on November 1, 2024. A large part of the public holds government officials responsible. No one has yet been held accountable for the Novi Sad tragedy, and among those suspected of negligence are two former ministers.

The protests were led by a student movement, and to their list of demands—which includes democratization, the rule of law, and the functioning of institutions free from political interference and pressure—students also added the call for early elections.

Following the consultations so far, Vučić told reporters that his call for dialogue “is not a whim or a trick, but the essence of democracy,” stating that since November 1, 2024, he has issued “154 invitations for talks to political opponents and those who think differently.”

Emphasizing that he is not a man “who makes decisions hastily,” he assessed that discussions within the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), as “the largest and most responsible political party in Serbia,” will be “very difficult, very delicate, and very long.”

Vučić said that after Easter according to the Julian calendar, which Orthodox believers observe on April 12, a “very difficult period” lies ahead, which is why after the holidays he will schedule a meeting and invite “the entire Government of Serbia and all services” in order to “prepare for that crisis.”

Vučić’s second presidential term, after which he can no longer run for the position under the Constitution, expires in May 2027. Officials from the SNS have already announced that they will “ask” him to become prime minister. This scenario would imply that the SNS and its coalition partners win the elections, and that a candidate from the party or someone close to it is elected president, who could then, potentially, give Vučić the mandate to form a government.

The Serbian Progressive Party has been in power in Serbia since 2012.