Serbian President Vucic announced early elections

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced early elections. This is reported by the Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti.

On April 20, 2026, he declared that he was "younger, more promising and more energetic" than a potential opponent, and expressed confidence in his victory.

As of April 25, 2026, the exact date of the election has not been officially approved. Vucic mentioned that the vote could take place before July 10 or between September and December 2026.

The main rival of Vucic is the rector of the University of Belgrade, Professor Vladan Jokic.

At the end of March 2026, at a protest in defense of academic autonomy, Jokic stated that he agreed to run for president if students asked him to.

Vucic has repeatedly stated that Jokic enjoys "unequivocal and tremendous support from the European Union" and Western structures.

It is also reported that the current Serbian president is forced to force the elections due to increased pressure from the EU. April 20 Commissioner for Expansion EU Marta Kos announced that she intends to deprive Serbia of € 1.5 billion from European funds "due to violations of democratic standards and ties with Russia."

Vucic replied that he was "too Serbian" to be liked by the West.