Serbian prime minister resigns amid anti-corruption protests
Serbian prime minister resigns amid anti-corruption protests
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Miloš Vučević steps down ‘in order to defuse tensions’ as demonstrations continue. Miloš Vučević, the prime minister of Serbia, has resigned, becoming the highest-ranking official to step down amid a wave of anti-corruption protests that have spread across the country.
The anti-government demonstrations sprang up after the roof collapsed at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people and leading to calls for Vučević to quit. What began as small gatherings in Novi Sad have ballooned and spread to Belgrade as students, teachers and other workers have turned out in the capital in their thousands to blame the station disaster on corruption within the government of the president, Aleksandar Vučić.
The minister for construction, transportation and infrastructure, and the trade minister have already stepped down because of the incident, but that failed to quell the protests. “I opted for this step in order to defuse tensions”, Vučević told a news conference on Tuesday, announcing his resignation. He said the mayor of Novi Sad would also resign. “With this, we have met all demands of the most radical protesters.”.
The protests, which included students putting up a blockade at a main junction in Belgrade this week, have been largely peaceful. But three protesters in Novi Sad were attacked on Monday and blamed members of Vučić’s Serbian Progressive party (SNS). A young woman sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital.
