WORLD NEWS | Serbian president resigns as ruling party leader in new campaign plan

BELGRADE, May 27 (AP) – Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić resigned from the helm of his populist party Saturday as he plans to form a broader political movement and faces a wave of anti-government protests.

Under his proposal, Vucic was replaced by current Defense Minister Milos Vucevic as leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party.

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“Thank you for these 11 years,” Vucic said at a gathering in the central Serbian town of Kragujevac. “I am proud to lead the best political party in Serbia all these years.”

Vucic first announced the change at a rally in Belgrade in front of tens of thousands of supporters on Friday. He has often been criticized for serving as the party’s leader while serving as the country’s president.

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Vucic stated that “as long as I am alive”, he will always be a member of SNS and “will not leave you.”

Thousands were expected to join an opposition-led march late Saturday, calling for the resignation of top officials and the revocation of the licenses of pro-government media outlets that broadcast violent content and host criminal figures and war criminals.

The protests in Belgrade and other Serbian cities were the largest against Vucic and his government in years.

Eighteen people were killed and 20 injured in two mass shootings earlier this month, many of them elementary school children.

Critics accuse Vucic and his party of fueling social division and limiting democratic freedoms during his 11 years in power. He denies it.

Vucic said a new national movement will be formed in June to include other political parties, experts and prominent personalities and promote unity.

Analysts say it is an attempt to restructure after more than a decade in power and mounting public pressure.

At Friday’s rally, Vucic accused the opposition of abusing the mass shooting for political ends. But he still offers dialogue as he seeks ways to ease mounting public pressure.

The killing shocked the nation and sparked calls for change.

Protesters say Vucic and his government are creating an atmosphere of violence with hate speech against political opponents and a relentless campaign in mainstream media.

Opposition parties have pledged to continue the demonstrations until their demands are met.

These included ousting the interior minister and intelligence chief, revoking the national broadcasting licenses of two pro-government television stations and disbanding a media watchdog.

On Friday, Vučić and his party held a pro-government rally in torrential rain that was declared “the largest ever” in Serbia.

Serbian media reported that employees of public companies in smaller towns were told they had to come or lose their jobs. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)