Serbia moves to dissolve parliament for snap election

Serbia's government proposed dissolving parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Djuro Macut said, opening the way for an October snap election sought by a student-led protest movement.

Parliamentary elections had not been due until December 2027, but President Aleksandar Vucic announced a vote for late October after nearly two years of anti-government unrest. The election is now expected on October 25.

Macut told an extraordinary government session that he proposed asking Vucic to dissolve the National Assembly and call parliamentary elections. Vucic has 72 hours to accept the proposal and dissolve parliament.

The student-led anti-graft movement began after a canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people. The collapse was widely blamed on entrenched corruption. Initial demands for a transparent investigation later broadened into calls for a snap election.

Macut said Serbia had faced protests, blockades, deep divisions, problems in education and pressure on institutions. He said a responsible government should not ignore public calls for early elections.

Vucic, who has been in power since 2012, said in late June that he would step down as president before his term expires in April 2027 so he can participate in the campaign. His Serbian Progressive Party decided over the weekend to ask him to head its electoral list and stand as its candidate for prime minister.