Serbian PM Milos Vucevic Steps Down Amid Protests Over Novi Sad Train Station Tragedy

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following weeks of mass protests demanding accountability for a deadly accident in Novi Sad where the collapse of a concrete canopy killed 15 people at the northern city’s rail station, which critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.

Speaking at a hastily called news conference in Belgrade on January 28, Vucevic said that he and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric were stepping down to show accountability for what happened.

"The mayor of Novi Sad and I consider ourselves objectively responsible for what happened in Novi Sad and for that we are willingly paying the political price," he said.

"With the resignation of the prime minister, the entire cabinet falls, so practically speaking, the entire government is resigning. We will do our job responsibly until a new government is elected or until a new or different political decision is made," Vucevic said, adding that President Aleksandar Vucic had accepted his decision.

SEE ALSO:

Protesting Serbian Students Set 24-Hour Belgrade Blockade, Joined By Farmers, OthersSerbian Deputies Scuffle As Opposition Keeps Pressure Over Deadly Rail Station Collapse14 Dead In Roof Collapse At Railway Station In Serbia's Novi Sad

According to the Serbian Constitution, if parliament fails to elect a new government within 30 days of the prime minister's official resignation, the president is obliged to dissolve the National Assembly and schedule elections.

Djuric confirmed his resignation later in a statement.

"As someone who believes in the power of dialogue and mutual understanding, I believe that accepting responsibility and submitting my resignation is my human and political obligation and moral duty," he said.

Serbian farmers on tractors joined students on the main thoroughfares of Belgrade late on January 27 as demonstrators launched a 24-hour protest blockade against the handling of the aftermath of the deadly railway station disaster by the government and Vucic himself.

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5

Serbian Students Protest In Overnight Blockade In Belgrade

Although protests initially focused on the Novi Sad tragedy, anger has since mounted over the detention of protesters by Serbian authorities and attacks on students, one of whom was seriously injured and remains in hospital.

Djuric called on the police to find the attackers of the student as soon as possible and for the justice system to punish them.

"Stability and calming of tensions and stopping further divisions in society are a key condition for further progress and the development of Novi Sad and the improvement of the lives of the people of Novi Sad," he added.

A student group called Students of the Blockade said the actions fell short of their demands and called for a protest walk through Novi Sad to be held on January 30.

"Our demands have not been met," they said, without commenting further.

The canopy collapse occurred after the Novi Sad railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies.

Serbian Railways insisted that the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.

The Novi Sad High Public Prosecutor's Office has so far questioned 48 individuals, including officials from Serbian Railways and Infrastructure.

The prosecutor's office has also seized documents from multiple institutions and companies and ordered expert analyses to determine the cause of the collapse and those responsible.