Milos Vucevic has stepped down following mass demonstrations over alleged government corruption and negligence
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic officially announced his resignation on Tuesday following weeks of anti-government protests over alleged corruption and negligence.
His decision comes after sustained public outcry over the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station three months ago, resulting in 15 deaths.
The protests, which began in Novi Sad last November and have since spread to the capital Belgrade, have been primarily led by students. Demonstrators have staged daily traffic blockades and rallies, demanding the resignation of top officials and a full investigation into the railway station collapse.
Classes at dozens of university faculties and schools were also canceled due to student boycotts. Many protesters have blamed the tragedy on government mismanagement and inadequate oversight of infrastructure projects.
In his resignation statement, Vucevic said his decision to step down was “irrevocable” and that he had opted for the move in order to defuse tensions and meet “all demands of the most radical protesters.” He also said he believed it was a way to “demonstrate the responsibility of those who were elected to be responsible,” adding that the mayor of Novi Sad would also resign.
Vucevic stated that he would continue to perform his duties until a new prime minister is elected, and that the Serbian government would “professionally and responsibly perform our duties until a new government is elected or a new or other political decision is made.”
However, he claimed that the ongoing protests across the country were being organized from abroad with the ultimate goal of staging a coup d’etat. “I can say with certainty that this is an absolutely deliberate action, organized from abroad, I have no doubt about that,” Vucevic said, adding that a blow had been dealt to the most “sensitive area of society – children’s education,” with the aim of “threatening Serbia as a state.”
While the student protests have been mostly peaceful, some violence has broken out, with three protesters in Novi Sad being attacked on Monday. Demonstrators have blamed members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) for the attack.
The prime minister condemned the violence and announced that an investigation into the incident was underway, but suggested that foreign interference was stoking the protests. He noted that no matter how much Belgrade authorities had tried to call for calm and tried to establish dialogue, “some invisible hand kept creating new incidents and fueled tensions in society.”
Previously, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had also accused the country’s opposition of collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies to destabilize the country, describing the protests as an attempt at a “color revolution,” referring to movements aimed at achieving political change, often perceived as being supported by foreign interests. He specifically claimed that a coalition of Western, Croatian, and Albanian interests was working to “to destroy Serbia from within.”
