Serbia's populist PM Vucevic steps down after months of anti-corruption protests
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation on Tuesday following months of mass demonstrations triggered by the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November, which critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
Serbia’s populist Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said Tuesday he is stepping down following weeks of massive anti-corruption protests over the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy in November.
The canopy collapse, which killed 15 people in the northern city of Novi Sad, has become a flashpoint reflecting wider discontent with the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic. He has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms in Serbia despite formally seeking European Union membership for the troubled Balkan nation.
Vucevic told a news conference that his resignation is aimed at lowering tensions in Serbia.
“It is my appeal for everyone to calm down the passions and return to dialogue," he said.
Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric also will step down on Tuesday, Vucevic said.
Vucevic’s resignation is likely to lead to an early parliamentary election. The resignation must be confirmed by Serbia’s parliament, which has 30 days to choose a new government or call a snap election.
On Monday, tens of thousands of people joined striking university students in a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the Serbian capital. The students have been protesting for weeks, demanding accountability for the canopy collapse that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
(AP)
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