Serbia Gets New Government, Leader Dangles New Elections

Serbia appointed a new government headed by political newcomer Đuro Macut as the country’s new prime minister, after the former administration was brought down by mass anti-government protests, with the country’s President Aleksandar Vučić floating new elections in June, Politico reported. 

On Wednesday, lawmakers allied with Vučić’s populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) backed Macut, a renowned endocrinologist and academic, and the new cabinet, following the resignation of his predecessor, Miloš Vučević, in January, Radio Free Europe reported. 

Handpicked by Vučić, the parliamentary vote was seen as a formality: The president’s SNS party and its allies dominate the legislature. 

In his inaugural address, Macut said his administration would seek to end the protests, adding that Serbia was “tired of division and blockades,” while calling for dialogue with demonstrators. 

He added that Belgrade would maintain its balancing act between pursuing its European Union membership, while also reserving strong ties with China, a key investor, long-time ally, Russia, as well as the United States. 

Serbia has been grappling with mass student-led anti-government protests for months. Demonstrators were initially demanding accountability for the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad in November. 

However, the demonstrations quickly evolved into a broader movement against corruption and Vučić, who has governed Serbia since 2017. 

The unrest prompted the former prime minister, Vučević, to resign. 

While some analysts have suggested that Macut could serve as a “credible interlocutor” with the demonstrators, others say the new government is a reconstitution of Vučević’s administration and “unlikely to ease public tensions.”