Serbian government sets up snap vote with call to dissolve parliament

By AFP and Reuters. Published On 7 Sep 20267 Sep 2026.

Key points

• According to The president has already, the vote will be held on either October 18 or ⁠25.
• The election would allow Vucic, whose Serbian ⁠Progressive Party nominated on Saturday to run for prime minister, to try to reassert his authority.
• Vucic has faced extra EU pressure previously week over public homage to war criminal Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander.
• ?Prime Minister Djuro Macut confirmed the call in Belgrade on Monday.
• Vucic's opponents have condemned the fact that Serbia's bid to join the European Union has stalled.

Serbia's administration has proposed the dissolution of parliament, paving the way for early elections.

?Prime Minister Djuro Macut confirmed the call in Belgrade on Monday. The move to a snap election is seen as a bid to tighten the rule of President Aleksandar Vucic after almost two years of anti-government unrest.

Parliamentary elections were not due until December next year, but Vucic on Monday confirmed aims to hold a vote in late October, with speculation rife that he will seek to move into the role of prime minister.

For context, the early election will test how secure a grip on Serbian politics Vucic still enjoys. The veteran authoritarian leader has run the country as president or prime minister for 12 ⁠years.

After the killing of 16 individuals when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in 2024, have presented him with his sternest challenge yet, nevertheless, massive and persistent anticorruption demonstrations. The student-led protest movement has long demanded early elections.

"If we want to mitigate tensions in society there is no better way than to ask people, " Macut remarked as he unveiled the dissolution call.

"Serbia has faced protests, blockades, deep divisions, problems in education and heavy pressure on institutions, " he informed ministers. "For some time, parts of the public have been calling for early parliamentary elections, " adding that "a responsible government never ignores such demands."

Vucic is projected to set ⁠a date for elections over the next few days. According to the constitution, between 45 and 60 days must be allowed for campaigning.

Meanwhile, the election would allow Vucic, whose Serbian ⁠Progressive Party nominated on Saturday to run for prime minister, to try to reassert his authority.

Meanwhile, the ‌opposition and demonstrators accuse Vucic and his allies of violence against political opponents, rampant corruption, ties with organised crime and ‌stifling ‌media freedoms. The president and his circle have denied any wrongdoing.

Vucic's opponents have condemned the fact that Serbia's bid to join the European Union has stalled. The president has instead worked on maintaining close ties with Russia and China.

Vucic has faced extra EU pressure previously week over public homage to war criminal Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander. This person was buried as a hero in Serbia on Monday despite his United Nations court conviction.

For now, serbian government sets up snap vote with call to dissolve parliament remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.