By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Tuesday announced his resignation following months of mass demonstrations over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November, which has been attributed to corruption.
“My irrevocable decision is to resign from the position of prime minister,” Vucevic said during a press conference in Belgrade.
The country has faced persistent protests in the wake of the deadly disaster at the train station in the northern city of Novi Sad, where 15 people lost their lives.
The collapse has fuelled long-standing anger across Serbia over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight in construction projects.
“I had a long meeting with the President of Serbia this morning… we talked about everything, and he accepted my arguments,” the Prime Minister added.
“So, in order to avoid further complicating things, and so as not to raise tensions in society further, I made this decision.”
Prior to his role as Prime Minister, Vucevic served as the mayor of Novi Sad from 2012 to 2022, a period during which renovations began at the train station.
The Prime Minister has been in office for less than a year.
More than a dozen individuals have been charged in connection with the Novi Sad accident, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the incident.
Shortly after Vucevic’s resignation, Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric announced that he would also be stepping down.
“Resigning is not an expression of weakness or retreat in the face of challenges, but an act of assuming responsibility and opening space for the restoration of trust among people,” the mayor said in a statement posted on social media.
The Prime Minister’s resignation coincided with thousands of protesters ending a 24-hour blockade at a major traffic intersection in Belgrade. This blockade was the latest in a series of massive rallies held across the country.
On Tuesday morning, demonstrators packed up and cleared the area at the Autokomanda junction, which links several major roads and motorways in the Serbian capital, after many had camped out overnight.
As Prime Minister, Vucevic was officially the head of government in Serbia. However, the position is widely regarded as subordinate to President Aleksandar Vucic, who has ruled the country for more than a decade.
