Vucevic told an emergency press conference at the government building that he had irrevocably decided to resign after yesterday's events in Novi Sad, when students were attacked. He resigned just one day after the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic announced plans for an urgent reconstruction of the government.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on Tuesday after months of protests over the November awning collapse that killed 15 people.
Vucevic's resignation came just a day after President Vucic said he was preparing "urgent and extensive reconstruction of the government" in response to demands made by striking students at Serbian universities.
Vucevic said that he had a long and meaningful conversation with President Vučić this morning and noted that he accepted his decision and arguments. "I think it speaks to the responsibility of those who were elected to be accountable," Vucevic said, reiterating that politicians should take responsibility and show that they are ready to contribute to calming tensions in society.
He said that the tragedy in Novi Sad, caused by the collapse of the gallery at the railway station, had cast a long shadow over the government's achievements and that Serbia had been stuck in the aftermath ever since. "What has overshadowed not only the past year, but certainly the mandate of this government, is the great tragedy in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, in which 15 people lost their lives and two were seriously injured," pointed out Vucevic.
He said the tragedy had again been politically exploited, with an attempt to gain politically from the loss of human life.
Vučević also pointed to the deep contradictions that have emerged - not in terms of the number and support of citizens for a certain political option, but in the creation of an atmosphere in society where everything is on the brink of conflict.
"As a result," he continued, "we've gotten to the point where students are counting by who's in class, where teachers are arguing in classrooms and parents are arguing and adding up numbers in Viber groups."
"Someone who has come up with this - and I can now freely say that it has been totally thought out abroad - has no doubt hit the most sensitive part of society: the education of children," Vucevic said.
According to him, the situation was carefully planned with the aim of directly destabilising Serbia, given all that followed, i.e. protests, blockades, fighting and violent clashes.
On Monday, demonstrators launched a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the capital Belgrade, increasing pressure on the authorities.
Serbian farmers on tractors and thousands of citizens joined a blockade following weeks of protests demanding accountability for a deadly accident in Novi Sad that critics blame on rampant corruption in the government.
One person, a 23-year-old woman, was hospitalized Monday night with serious injuries after a group of unknown assailants attacked her with baseball bats, local media reported.
The campaign of street demonstrations represents the biggest challenge in years for the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) government, which has a firm grip on power in Serbia.
Later on Monday, at a joint press conference with Vučić and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić, Vučić called for dialogue with the students and said that "we need to reduce tensions and start talking to each other".
"Any crisis is a serious problem for our economy," Vucic said. "This situation in society is not good for anyone."
Vučević also announced that Milan Đurić will resign as mayor of Novi Sad today. Vučević, a native of Novi Sad, was mayor of the city from 2012 to 2022.
srbija.gov.rs/ euronews/ gnews - RoZ
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