Trump's ally Aleksandar Vučić plans to step down as president of Serbia and return to power as prime minister after snap elections this fall, following a model inspired by the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, writes the Financial Times (FT).
The paper states that Vučić, "the 56-year-old strongman who has been governing Serbia for the past 13 years, in various capacities, is facing growing protests and discontent over alleged authoritarian tendencies, corruption and slow economic development."
FT estimates that the Serbian leader is one of the few remaining allies of the US president Donald Trump in Central and Eastern Europe.
Vučić adopted part of the MAGA movement's rhetoric, criticizing Brussels, independent media and elites who, he claims, have support from abroad, while at the same time promoting conservative values such as family, Christianity and opposition to gender politics.
Also, it added, Serbia paved the way for a luxury project supported by Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the site of the Ministry of Defense of the former Yugoslavia in Belgrade, which was bombed by NATO in 1999 and is considered a national monument.
The project was later withdrawn following public outcry and investigations into alleged irregularities, including claims that documents were falsified to remove protection for cultural monuments.
This is not Vučić's concession to student demands
Citing analysts' assessments, the FT writes that Vučić may be using the resignation and election announcements to test the political climate, and that he could drop his promise to step down if he deems the timing to be unfavorable.
"This is not the first time he has thrown the bait," said Helena Ivanov, a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society in London.
Recalling that a few months ago Vučić said that special elections could be held in July and that he could run for prime minister, the analyst concludes that Vučić seems to be aiming for "Putin's scenario", with the argument that he has already violated the Serbian constitution, in which the presidential function is mostly ceremonial, by continuing to dominate public life through the ruling SNS party.
"The key thing is that he holds power... In the party and in the country... so this is not his concession." student requests. This is just keeping his base in pre-election mode," she added.
The FT adds that the student movement has promised to field candidates in the parliamentary elections, making it the only credible challenger to the SNS.
"A strategy of high risk and high gain would be to hold presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time," said one interlocutor familiar with the political situation in Belgrade. But, he added, "Vučić is not a gambler."
"A low-risk option would be to hold presidential elections only when the SNS parliamentary majority is secured, and to retain the presidential office at least until 2027," added the FT interlocutor.
Source: Beta
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