Serbia chooses new prime minister: Macut is supposed to end protests!

Serbia chooses new prime minister: Macut is supposed to end protests!

Novi Sad, Serbien - Djuro Macut was today confirmed by the Serbian parliament as the new prime minister. The 61-year-old, who was previously little known in the political public, was commissioned by President Aleksandar Vučić to form the government. In the vote, 153 of the 199 members present voted for the new government, while 46 voted and 51 were absent. Vučić expressed the desire that Macut "frees us from terror", an indication of the ongoing street protests against his government, which have been going on for more than five months and are not considered a crisis. These protests led to a decline in domestic and foreign investments in Serbia.

The protests began on November 1, 2024, after the fatal collapse of a station vordach in Novi Sad, in which 16 people died. The demonstrators criticize the government for corruption and state failure in connection with this accident and demand systemic reforms to combat mismanagement. According to the reporting on the protests, the first organizers are students who demand responsibility and education.

massive protest wave

The protests have now developed into a broad movement, with the greatest demonstration in mid -March 2025 in Belgrade, in which an estimated 275,000 to 325,000 people took part. The Serbian Minister of the Interior stated that this event participated in this event with around 100,000 people. Cilliffs between demonstrators and government supporters also contributed to the escalation of the situation, while the public prosecutor's office charged 13 people in connection with the collapse.

The government, which rejects allegations of bribery and incompetence, has announced an anti-corruption campaign. Nevertheless, the trust of the population in the government remains low. President Vučić, who has been in office since 2017 and previously worked in various government functions, has repeatedly called up a dialogue, but also blames foreign interference for the protests.

political upheavals

The protests that led to the resignation of the previous Prime Minister Milos Vučević were initially strongly suppressed by the authorities. Vučević announced his resignation in January 2024, after an incident in which an attack on a student was given as a reason. Opposition parties and civil movements had called for the protests that have now also received a new social context in response to inadequate measures against violence in the media.

The historical interweaving of Serbia with Russia and the West as well as the status as an EU candidate for joining lead to a complex political landscape. Critics accuse Vučić of maintaining an autocratic style of government that is characterized by media control, bribery and violence against oppositional. The government has difficulty regulating the trust of the population, while the prospects for an EU accession without fundamental reforms are currently being assessed as low.

macut, who previously appeared politically as a supporter of Vučić and enjoys a certain reputation in the professional world as an endocrinologist, is now faced with the challenge of ending the protests that have been going on for several months.

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