Serbia’s Putin-friendly PM quits after weeks of protests

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1. ***The Telegraph reports:***

   The prime minister of [Serbia](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/serbia/) has resigned following weeks of nationwide protests against corruption and bad governance.

   Milos Vucevic announced his resignation on Tuesday, becoming the most senior official to step down since protests broke out in November and striking a blow to Serbia’s Russia-friendly ruling party.

   “It is my unconditional decision to resign,” Mr Vucevic said at a press conference while appealing for calm. “It is my appeal for everyone to calm down the passions and return to dialogue.”

   His departure comes after tens of thousands of people took to the streets on an almost daily basis to protest over the collapse of a roof at a railway station in the country’s second largest city, Novi Sad. The tragedy, which happened in November, killed 15 people, including several children.

   Protesters, including students, teachers, office workers and farmers, have blamed the disaster on poor construction standards as well as corruption within the government, which is led by nationalist president [Aleksandar Vucic](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/25/serbia-protests-election-votes-aleksandar-vucic-police/).

   On Tuesday, thousands of protesters ended a 24-hour blockade of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade as they piled pressure on the government.

   Many had camped overnight at the junction, which links several major roads and motorways in the Serbian capital.

   **Read more:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/01/28/serbias-pm-quits-anti-corruption-protests-bridge-collapse/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/01/28/serbias-pm-quits-anti-corruption-protests-bridge-collapse/)

2. Good riddance 

3. The election it causes may create some change. But Vucic has more of these men he can put in place. He has led the country for over 10 years. He won with over 60% of the votes in the last presidential election in 2022 and runner up got less than 19%.

   To get a new leadership the opposition would need to defeat his party and then furthermore elect a new president later on. In 2020 when the main opponent party refused to run his party held 188/250 seats in the national assembly. Their group party has 112 seats now. Second biggest party has 13. It’s basically the Polish PIS situation where the party has full control and can do anything they want like when PIS implemented an abortion ban and took over all national media just because they could. To win in Serbia the opposition would need to create a new union like they did in Turkey. And then market it well. Even so they failed in Turkey.

   None of these student protectors are eager voters. They are good at protesting. The older people who turn up to vote will vote the same way again.

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