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The canopy collapse, which killed 15 people in the northern city
of Novi Sad, has become a flashpoint reflecting wider discontent
with the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbia’s populist
President Aleksandar Vucic. He has faced accusations of curbing
democratic freedoms in Serbia despite formally seeking European
Union membership for the troubled Balkan nation.
Vucevic told a news conference that his resignation is aimed at
lowering tensions in Serbia.
“It is my appeal for everyone to calm down the passions and
return to dialogue," he said.
Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric also will step down on Tuesday,
Vucevic said.
Vucevic’s resignation is likely to lead to an early
parliamentary election. The resignation must be confirmed by
Serbia’s parliament, which has 30 days to choose a new
government or call a snap election.
On Monday, tens of thousands of people joined striking
university students in a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic
intersection in the Serbian capital. The students have been
protesting for weeks, demanding accountability for the canopy
collapse that critics have blamed on rampant government
corruption.
In another attempt to defuse tensions, Vucic, Vucevic and
Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic on Monday evening urged dialogue
with the students, who have garnered widespread support from all
walks of life in Serbia with their call for justice and
accountability.
Vucevic said the immediate cause for his quitting was an attack
on a female student in Novi Sad early Tuesday by assailants
allegedly from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Vucevic
said that “whenever it seems there is hope to return to social
dialogue, to talk ... it’s like an invisible hand creates a new
incident and tensions mount again.”
Serbia’s prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people,
including a government minister and several state officials. But
the former Construction Minister Goran Vesic has been released
from detention, fueling doubts over the investigation’s
independence.
The main railway station in Novi Sad was renovated twice in
recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese
state companies.
Several incidents have marred the street demonstrations in the
past weeks, including drivers ramming into the crowds on two
occasions, when two young women were injured.
Students and others have been holding daily 15-minute traffic
blockades throughout Serbia at 11:52 a.m., the exact same time
the concrete canopy crashed down on Nov. 1. The blockades honor
the 15 victims, including two children.
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