Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation on Tuesday after months of protests sparked by the tragic roof collapse of a train station in November. The incident in Novi Sad claimed 15 lives shortly after extensive renovations were completed, leading to nationwide demonstrations. 

The collapse has brought attention to long-standing issues in Serbia, including concerns over corruption and poor supervision of construction projects. At a press conference in Belgrade, Vucevic, who was mayor of Novi Sad when the renovations started, was quoted by AFP as saying, “My irrevocable decision is to resign from the position of prime minister.” He further said, “I had a long meeting with the president of Serbia this morning… we talked about everything, and he accepted my arguments.” “So in order to avoid further complicating things, so we do not further raise tensions in society, I made this decision,” he added.

Before taking up a government position in Belgrade, Vucevic served as the mayor of Novi Sad from 2012 to 2022. During his tenure, renovation work began at the city's train station. The prime minister has held office for less than a year. Over a dozen individuals, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, have been charged in connection with the Novi Sad accident. Vesic resigned just days after the incident. Thousands of protesters ended a 24-hour blockade at a key traffic intersection in Belgrade following the prime minister's announcement. This was part of a series of large rallies held across the country.

On Tuesday morning, protesters cleared the Autokomanda junction – a critical link for several major roads and highways in the Serbian capital – after many spent the night camped there. The blockade was organised after student leaders called for a general strike last Friday, which led to lawyers stopping work, and the closure of small businesses and schools across Serbia.

For several months, students have been occupying universities nationwide as the protest movement's leaders. President Aleksandar Vucic spoke to the nation Monday night in response to growing pressure, offering to engage in dialogue with the demonstrators and defending his government's handling of the Novi Sad tragedy. Student organisers are calling for more action, including better transparency in the investigation and the release of all documents related to the station's renovation. While the government has shared some documents about the roof collapse, experts from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade say the information is incomplete. Other major demands include dropping charges against protesters arrested at rallies, stopping attacks on demonstrators, and increasing government funding for education.