Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said on January 26 that snap elections are likely to be held later this year, most probably between October and December, as he seeks renewed legitimacy after a year of protests sparked by a deadly infrastructure disaster.

“We are going to the elections this year. I think the elections are in the fall, I think that is the more likely option,” Vucic told Blic TV, as quoted by Tanjug.

Speculation over early elections has been mounting for the past year, with the opposition and protesters demanding a fresh vote following the collapse of a canopy roof at the renovated Novi Sad railway station in November 2024.

The accident killed 16 people and triggered the largest protest movement in Serbia in more than a decade, with demonstrators accusing the authorities of corruption, negligence and lack of accountability.

Vucic said it was “realistic” that elections would take place between October and December 2026, though he played down the immediacy of the decision.

Asked whether he might resign in order to merge presidential and parliamentary elections – a possibility he has previously floated – Vucic said he did not rule it out. “Possible. I do not rule out that possibility,” he said, adding that he was currently focused on government business rather than election timing.

The conservative-nationalist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), led by Vucic, has been in power for more than 12 years, dominating both parliament and key state institutions. The party says it has maintained support by delivering economic stability and growth, while critics accuse it of systemic corruption, election manipulation and undermining democratic standards, including media freedom.

Vucic’s once-dominant political position showed signs of strain in 2025 as protest turnouts reached the tens of thousands. However, Serbia’s opposition remains fragmented and largely unpopular, struggling to translate street mobilisation into a credible electoral challenge.

Student-led protest groups have deliberately avoided formal alignment with traditional opposition parties, which many view as organisationally weak and compromised by past failures. Although protesters’ demands – including rule of law, transparency and accountability – resonate widely, the movement lacks a clear political vehicle.

The SNS won a decisive victory in the last snap parliamentary and local elections in December 2023, but the results were marred by allegations of fraud and prompted weeks of protests in Belgrade. Despite the controversy, the party retained control of the capital’s city assembly after a repeat vote in June 2024.