Serbian Prime Minister Resigns Amid Protests
The Facts
Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević announced on Tuesday his "irrevocable" decision to step down from office amid months of protests over the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station that killed 15 people in November.
He added that Pres. Aleksandar Vučić accepted his resignation after a long conversation, just one day after the president said that an "urgent and extensive reconstruction of the government" was being planned.
He is the third minister to quit in the wake of the disaster in Serbia's second-largest city that culminated in the resignation of Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric as well. Local media reported that a cabinet session to decide on whether to appoint a new prime minister-designate or call early elections was to take place on Tuesday.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Vučević hopes that his resignation will be enough to quell radical protests and avoid further foreign interference in Serbia. It's clear that the West, Croatia, and Albania are collaborating with the opposition in a push for a so-called color revolution to topple the government and destroy Serbia from within.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's certain that the resignation of Vučević was one of the initial demands of the protests months ago, but such a move is no longer likely to be enough to calm tensions and bring apolitical demonstrations to an end. Serbians aren't interested in politics, they simply want better institutions and less corruption.
