Aleksandar Vučić resigned as Serbia’s president on September 27, announcing that he intends to head his party’s list in upcoming parliamentary elections instead. If his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) succeeds in these elections, which are scheduled for October 25, Vučić would become Serbia’s next prime minister.

Vučić has been the most dominant political figure in Serbia for over a decade. He first served as prime minister between 2014 and 2017, and has been president since then. Although the Serbian presidency is constitutionally a largely ceremonial role, Vučić has retained a tight grip over his party, the government and state institutions.

His decision to run for prime minister is widely seen as an attempt to retain his central position in Serbian politics. Vučić’s presidential term was set to end in May 2027 and, having been elected to the role two times previously, he would not have been eligible to run again.

Vučić’s principal accomplishment while in power has been to consolidate an informal network of power. The SNS has been the ruling party in Serbia for 14 years and has immense control over access to social benefits in the country, from education and employment to public contracts and legal enforcement.

People who receive employment, contracts for commercial projects or other benefits through the ruling party are obligated to become party members or supporters and to recruit their family, friends, and neighbours into the network.........

© The Conversation