Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns amid prolonged protests

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has resigned to seek the prime minister’s post in a snap parliamentary election on October 25, as a student-led movement mounts the most serious challenge to his rule in more than a decade.Vucic, on the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ballot, has dominated Serbian politics as president or prime minister since 2014. Barred from seeking a third presidential term, he is now seeking to extend his hold on power through the parliamentary vote.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3A year after student protests shook Valjevo: Serbia at a crossroadslist 2 of 3Bosnian Serbs strengthen ties with Israel amid tensionslist 3 of 3Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made dronesend of listParliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a close ally, will serve as acting president pending a presidential election. Vucic said one of his final acts in office was to pardon 49 people, including 23 convicted in connection with the protests.Protests triggered by railway station disasterThe election follows nearly two years of demonstrations prompted by the killing of 16 people when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on November ...