Vučić Is Leaving Serbia's Presidency Without Leaving Power

Aleksandar Vučić resigned as Serbia's president on 27 September, seven months before his term expired. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for 25 October, presidential elections must follow by the end of December, and National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić becomes acting president.

The formal transition is clear. The distribution of power is not. Vučić can contest the parliamentary campaign as an ordinary citizen and, if his Serbian Progressive Party forms the next government, return as prime minister.

The office changes while the political network remains

Vučić has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade through party control, media reach and the authority of the presidency. Moving into a parliamentary contest does not dissolve those assets. It can convert them into a new constitutional base.

That is why the election matters beyond its winner. A transfer between offices can satisfy term limits and formal procedure while preserving the same personal centre of decision-making.

The campaign follows sustained pressure from below

Student-led protests and opposition groups have challenged the government over corruption, policing and institutional accountability. Rights organisations have accused authorities of unfair detention and violence against demonstrators; the government denies those allegations.

Calling early elections offers a route to renewed legitimacy. It also forces a fragmented opposition to organise quickly against a governing party with deeper resources. The fairness of media access, administration and policing will determine whether the vote resolves the crisis or repackages it.

Europe should evaluate institutions, not titles

Serbia remains an EU candidate and a strategic Balkan state balancing European integration with ties to Russia and China. External partners may be tempted to prioritise stability and accept any constitutional arrangement that produces a decisive government.

State & Power's assessment is that stability depends on institutions capable of surviving the dominant leader, not on his ability to occupy successive offices. European scrutiny should focus on electoral competition, parliamentary authority, judicial independence and media conditions rather than whether Vučić's next title is president or prime minister.

October 25 is the first test

Watch candidate registration, observer access, state-media balance, turnout and the treatment of protest movements. Then watch whether the next president exercises independent constitutional authority.

Vučić's resignation is a real institutional event. Whether it represents succession, renewal or tactical repositioning will be decided by the power relationships that emerge after the ballots are counted.