Vučić calls on the opposition: Launch a referendum on whether I should remain in the post of president

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić invited opposition representatives on January 14 to request an advisory referendum on his stay in office, in order to determine the support he has among citizens.

Vučić, through a video published on Instagram, said that the non-governmental Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) in Belgrade recently published the results of a survey, according to which, in such a referendum, 52 percent of citizens would vote against his stay in this position.

"If these CRTA claims are true, it is impossible for me to remain in the post of president of Serbia. Therefore, it is necessary for the opposition parties to submit only 67 signatures [of deputies] – and they have more than 80 – to demand the holding of an advisory referendum on the president of Serbia," Vučić said.

The opposition Freedom and Justice Party wrote in X that this "regime hook is an attempt to organize a referendum without fulfilling the electoral conditions, to bring back fake voters, and to campaign unhindered on all television stations under the control of the regime."

According to Serbian law, a referendum is organized to allow citizens to express their opinion on a proposed act, to confirm an adopted act, or on an issue of general importance. It can be binding or advisory. The non-governmental organization CRTA published on January 11 the results of a public opinion poll, according to which, if a referendum were held now, 52 percent of citizens would reject it, while 34 percent would express confidence in the president.

At the same time, the survey showed that the majority of citizens in Serbia do not think that an advisory, i.e. non-binding, referendum on confidence in the Serbian president would be the solution to the political crisis - an idea proposed by Vučić. Vučić assessed that Serbia is under "joint and coordinated pressure from outside and inside at the political level". According to him, legitimacy is the most important thing in politics and sovereignty stems from the will of the people.

"I will respect any decision that will be made in the advisory referendum, and if the decision is that more than 50 percent, even by one vote, want me not to be the president of Serbia, I will resign immediately," Vučić declared.

He said it is "a matter of discussion" whether the advisory referendum would be held in March, April or May.

"This is a way to peacefully resolve the crisis caused by the immoral abuses of the tragedy, while respecting the objective findings of the public opinion poll. Thus, Serbia enters calm waters ," the president added.

For more than two months, blockades and protests have been taking place in Serbia, with citizens, students and the opposition demanding political and criminal responsibility for the collapse of a concrete shelter at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, which killed 15 people and seriously injured two others. Over 60 faculties at four state universities have been blockaded.

The CRTA survey, among other things, showed that 61 percent of Serbian citizens support the blockades and protests, while the majority of them (48 percent) believe that the political responsibility for the demolition of the shelter should be borne by the relevant ministers, followed by the President of Serbia (39 percent). The public opinion survey was organized, according to the CRTA announcement, on a representative sample of 1,030 respondents on the territory of Serbia, from December 20 to 28, 2024.

Authorities in Serbia condemn protests and blockades. The concrete roof of the Novi Sad station building collapsed just months after the station's grand opening - following a three-year reconstruction that officials claimed was done to the highest European standards. The High Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad filed an indictment against 13 people on December 30 in connection with the collapse of the roof.

Among the accused are former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesic, and his assistant Anita Dimoski, as well as the former director of the public enterprise "Railway Infrastructure of Serbia," Jelena Tanaskovic. There are 10 accused in custody, Vesic is free, while Tanaskovic and Dimoski are under house arrest./ REL