Call it the strongest hint ever.
Or at least the strongest hint yet…
That Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is no longer thrilled with the job.
On Nov. 12, the long-time strongman behind the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) stated that in the event that the opposition wins coming parliamentary elections on Dec. 17 of this year that he would no longer want to serve as president.
“If they win the elections, I will give them a mandate,” Vucic said at a political rally in Smederovo Sunday, as sited by N1infor.rs, “but I don’t want to be the president anymore because I can’t do anything for the citizens of Serbia after that. And I want people in Serbia to know that.”
This could be the most overt signal that Vucic has tired of the position, as in the past he has also hinted the same—and during the summer he resigned as head of the SNS party. That said, taking the statement out of context would also be a mistake, as Vucic did appear fully committed to supporting the SNS and maintaining the status quo, adding that he would bear the “greatest responsibility” if the party did not win the elections.
Serbia and Vucic have been in the crosshairs both abroad and at home, with the EU pressing hard for Serbia to “normalize” relations with Kosovo and recognize it as an independent state and with the opposition having come together during anti-gun violence marches at home during the summer and thus demanding snap elections prior to the end of the year.
Photo by Das österreichische Außenministerium, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
