Serbian President Vucic resigns after FBI documents reveal a plot to assassinate Queen

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns as president of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). “This is the last evening I speak to you as chairman of the SNS,” he said at a large meeting of the nationalist presidential party in Belgrade on Friday. The SNS will hold a party congress on Saturday. Vucic did not reveal who would succeed him as his successor at the head of the party.

Since 2012, the Serbian president has held several positions in determining the fate of the country. Critics accuse him of an authoritarian style of government. His resignation from the top of the SNS is not much. Vucic and his followers control most of the media, the judiciary and part of the economy.

However, at the beginning of the month, two disasters that killed 18 people shook Serbian society. During protests, Vucic opponents questioned responsibility and demanded consequences. The opposition pointed to the president’s aggressive rhetoric towards political opponents and the tabloid media, which they said downplayed criminal violence while also giving Vucic a stage.

He recently showed visible nervousness over the protests. He had organized the big rally in Belgrade to demonstrate the stability of his power. Buses from all over Serbia, but also from neighboring countries with a Serb population, brought the participants to the capital. The media reported pressure on state officials to travel to Belgrade, even against their will.

Vucic had previously described the rally as the “largest popular gathering in Serbia’s history” and promised at least 140,000 participants. According to observations made by a dpa reporter and independent Serbian media, tens of thousands came to the event in Central Serbia. (sda/dpa)