The Serbian Parliament formally accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, initiating the legal process to form a new government. The leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and ally of President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, resigned on January 28 amid protests that began following a train station accident in Novi Sad last November, which resulted in the death of 15 people. During today’s session of the Serbian parliament, Vucevic’s resignation was officially accepted, starting a 30-day legal process to determine the new prime minister. The parliament session, where Vucevic’s resignation was the last agenda item, was marred by violent incidents due to opposition lawmakers supporting government and student protests. TIME IS SHORT FOR VUCICConstitutionally, President Vucic has 30 days to propose a new prime minister candidate to govern the country until the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2027. If Vucic fails to designate a new prime minister candidate within this time frame, early elections will need to take place within 45 to 60 days. Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic stated, “The deadline for the new government is midnight on April 18.” WHAT DO POLLS SAY?Amid ongoing protests in Serbia, the backlash against the ruling SNS is increasing day by day. According to a survey conducted by IPSOS Strategic Marketing in December, SNS had 48.3% voter support, but public discontent towards the government has significantly risen since then. Opposition parties have rejected the possibility of early elections and demanded the formation of a temporary government without the SNS. However, Vucic has repeatedly dismissed this option. Furthermore, the largest protest seen in decades took place last Saturday in the capital Belgrade, with over 100,000 people demanding the government’s resignation over corruption allegations. WHAT HAPPENED IN NOVI SAD?The accident on November 1, 2024, at the train station in Novi Sad, where 15 people lost their lives due to the collapse of an iron tent, triggered anti-government protests nationwide. The protests that began in Novi Sad spread throughout Serbia and became one of the largest waves of protests that shook the power of Vucic, who became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017.