Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as
President of Serbia
The president of Serbia (), officially styled as President of the Republic (), is the head of state of Serbia. The current officeholder is Aleksandar Vučić, who was elected in 2017 and has held the role since 31 May 2017.
According to the C ...
since 2017. A founding member of the
Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
(SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023,
First Deputy Prime Minister from 2012 to 2014, and
Prime Minister of Serbia
The prime minister of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, премијер Србије, premijer Srbije; feminine gender, feminine: премијерка/premijerka), officially the president of the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, председн ...
from 2014 to 2017.
Born in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, Vučić graduated as a lawyer from the
Faculty of Law
A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
of
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
. Vučić began his political career in 1993, as a member of the
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in the
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
. In 1995, he became the secretary-general of SRS. He was appointed
minister of information in 1998 in the government of
Mirko Marjanović. During his tenure as minister, which lasted until the
overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, Vučić introduced restrictive measures against journalists and banned foreign TV networks.
After 2000, he was one of the most prominent figures in the Serbian opposition. Together with
Tomislav Nikolić, Vučić left SRS and co-founded SNS in 2008, initially serving as its deputy president. SNS became the largest party in the
2012 election and SNS soon formed a government with the
Socialist Party of Serbia
The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006.
SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
. Vučić was appointed first deputy prime minister and elected president of SNS.
Despite not being prime minister, Vučić held the most influence and power due to being the leader of the largest party in the government. He was one of the crucial figures in
cooperation
Cooperation (written as co-operation in British English and, with a varied usage along time, coöperation) takes place when a group of organisms works or acts together for a collective benefit to the group as opposed to working in competition ...
and European Union (EU)-mediated
dialogue
Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
between the governments of
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
and Serbia, advocating the implementation of the
Brussels Agreement on the normalization of their relations. Vučić became prime minister in
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, leading to the establishment of a
dominant-party system
A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more tha ...
. He continued the
accession process to the EU by
privatizing state businesses and
liberalizing the economy. EU opened first
chapters during the accession conference with the Serbian delegation led by Vučić in 2015. In
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, Vučić was elected president of Serbia. He was re-elected in
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
.
During his tenure as president, Vučić initiated
Open Balkan, an economic zone of Balkan countries intended to guarantee "
four freedoms", and signed an
agreement
Agreement may refer to:
Agreements between people and organizations
* Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law
* Trade agreement, between countries
* Consensus (disambiguation), a decision-making process
* Contract, enforceable in a court of ...
in September 2020 to normalize economic relations with Kosovo. A
populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
politician, Vučić supports the accession of Serbia to the EU and also wants to retain good relations with Russia and China. Critics have described Vučić's rule as an
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
,
autocratic
Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...
or
illiberal democratic regime, citing
curtailed press freedom and a decline in
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...
.
Those who view the results of Vučić's administration affirmatively highlight economic growth and the pursuit of pragmatic and balanced policies.
Early life and education
Vučić was born on 5 March 1970
[Aleksandar Vučić](_blank)
Istinomer.rs in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
to Anđelko Vučić and Angelina Milovanov. He has a younger brother,
Andrej.
His paternal ancestors came from Čipuljić, near
Bugojno
Bugojno ( sr-cyrl, Бугојно) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Vrbas, to the northwest of Sarajevo. Accord ...
, in
Central Bosnia. They were expelled by the
Croatian fascists (
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
) during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and settled near Belgrade, where his father was born. According to Vučić, his paternal grandfather Anđelko and tens of other close relatives were
killed by the Ustaše.
His mother was born in
Bečej
Bečej (, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 19,492, while the municipality has 30,681 inhabitants.
History
Bečej was mentioned f ...
in
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
. Both of his parents were economics graduates. His father worked as an economist, and his mother as a journalist.
Vučić was raised in the
Blokovi neighborhood of
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
, where he attended the Branko Radičević Elementary School, and later a
gymnasium in
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...
. He graduated from the
University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law of the University in Belgrade (/''Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu''), also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educational institutions of the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The building is locate ...
in 1994.
He learned English in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, England, and worked as a merchant in London for more than a year. After returning to
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
, he worked as a journalist in
Pale,
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
. There, he interviewed politician
Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal ...
and once played chess with general
Ratko Mladić. As a youngster, Vučić was a fan of
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
, often attending their matches, including the one played between
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
and Red Star on 13 May 1990, which
turned into a huge riot. The homes of his relatives were destroyed in the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
.
[
]
Political career
Vučić joined the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in 1993, a far right party whose core ideology is based on Serbian nationalism and the goal of creating a Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, inclu ...
, and was elected to the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
following the 1993 parliamentary election. Two years later, Vučić became secretary-general of the SRS. He was one of the SRS's volunteers who visited the army that kept Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
under the siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
.
After his party won the local elections in Zemun in 1996, he became the director of Pinki Hall, which was his first employment.
Minister of Information (1998–2000)
In March 1998, Vučić was appointed Minister of Information in the government of Mirko Marjanović. Scholars described Vučić as the crucial figure in the shaping of turn-of-the century media policies in Serbia. Following rising resentment against Milošević, Vučić introduced fines for journalists who criticized the government and banned foreign TV networks. He recalled in 2014 that he was wrong and had changed, stating "I was not ashamed to confess all my political mistakes".
During this period, Serbian media was accused for broadcasting Serbian nationalist propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
, which demonized ethnic minorities and legitimized Serb atrocities against them. In 1998, the government adopted Europe's most restrictive media law by the end of the 20th century, which created a special misdemeanor court to try violations. It had the ability to impose heavy fines and to confiscate property if they were not immediately paid.[EXPERT REPORT OF RENAUD DE LA BROSSE "Political Propaganda and the Plan to Create 'A State For All Serbs:' Consequences of using media for ultra-nationalist ends" in five part]
1
2
3
4
5
Bard College
Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
Serbian media were under severe repression of the state, and that foreign media had been seen as "foreign elements" and "spies". Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
reported that five independent newspaper editors were charged with disseminating misinformation because they referred to Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
who had died in Kosovo as "people" rather than "terrorists". The government crackdown on independent media intensified when NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
forces were threatening intervention in Kosovo in late September and early October 1998. The government also maintained direct control of state radio and television, which provided news for the majority of the population. After the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
began in March 1999, Vučić called for a meeting of all Belgrade's editors. Print media were ordered to submit all copies to the Ministry for approval and they were allowed to publish only official statements and information taken from media outlets, which either are controlled by the state or practice radical self-censorship. Vučić also ordered all NATO countries journalists to leave the country.[
]
Radical Party to Progressive Party
Tomislav Nikolić, deputy leader of the Radical Party and de facto interim leader due to absence of Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...
, resigned on 6 September 2008 because of disagreement with Šešelj over the party's support for Serbia's EU membership. With some other well-known Radical Party members he formed a new parliamentary club called "''Napred Srbijo!''" (''Forward Serbia!''). On 12 September 2008, Nikolić and his group were officially ejected from the Radical Party on the session of SRS leadership. Vučić, as secretary-general was called to attend this session, but he did not appear. Tomislav Nikolić announced he would form his own party and called Vučić to join. Vučić, one of the most popular figures among SRS supporters, resigned from Radical Party on 14 September 2008. The next day, Vučić announced his temporary withdrawal from politics.
On 6 October 2008, Vučić confirmed in a TV interview that he was to join the newly formed Nikolić's Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
(SNS) and that he would be the Deputy President of the party. He then seemed to change his positions. In 2010 he made statements such as a "horrible crime was committed in Srebrenica", saying he felt "ashamed" of the Serbs who did it. "I do not hide that I have changed... I am proud of that." he told AFP in an interview in 2012. "I was wrong, I thought I was doing the best for my country, but I saw the results and we failed, We need to admit that."
Minister of Defence and First Deputy Prime Minister (2012–2014)
Vučić briefly served as minister of defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
and first deputy prime minister from July 2012 to August 2013, when he stepped down from his position of defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle
A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the head of state changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parliam ...
. Although the prime minister, Ivica Dačić Deba, held formal power as head of government, many analysts thought that Vučić had the most influence in government as head of the largest party in the governing coalition and parliament.
Prime Minister (2014–2017)
2014 parliamentary election
As a result of the 2014 parliamentary election, Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party won 158 out of 250 seats in Parliament and formed a ruling coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia
The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006.
SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
. Vučić was elected Prime Minister of Serbia.
2016 parliamentary election
At a party conference of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Vučić announced early general elections, citing that: 'He wants to ensure that the country has stable rule that its current political direction will continue – including its attempt to secure membership of the EU.'
On 4 March 2016, Serbian president, Tomislav Nikolić, dissolved the parliament, scheduling early elections for 24 April.
The ruling coalition around Vučić's SNS obtained 48.25% of the vote.
Vučić's ruling SNS retained majority in the parliament, despite winning less seats than in 2014 parliamentary election. The coalition around SNS won 131 seats, 98 of which belong to SNS.
2017 presidential election
Vučić announced his candidacy in the presidential election on 14 February 2017, despite earlier statements that he would not run. According to the Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
, Serbia is a parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the Executive (government), executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). ...
in which the presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...
is largely ceremonial with no significant executive power.
After initial speculations that the incumbent president, Tomislav Nikolić, would also run, he backed Vučić and his ruling SNS party. Vučić won the election in the first round, having obtained 56.01 percent of the vote. The independent candidate, Saša Janković was second with 16.63 percent, ahead of satirical politician Luka Maksimović and former minister of foreign affairs Vuk Jeremić.
A public opinion survey, carried out by CeSID, showed that significant proportions of Vučić supporters are composed of pensioner
A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...
s (41%) and that a large majority of them (63%) hold secondary education degrees, while 21% don't even have a high school degree.
President (2017–present)
The election result sparked protests around Serbia. Thousands of protesters accused Vučić of leading the country towards authoritarianism. Protesters organized the rallies through social media, insisted that they are not linked to any party or politician, and demanded a total overhaul of what they call "corrupt political, business and media systems that serve an elite led by Mr Vučić". Vučić said that the protests were organized by his political opponents who, he said, expected "the dictator would bring the police into the streets."
Vučić was sworn in as President of Serbia on 31 May, in front of Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. He promised to continue with reforms and said Serbia will remain on a European path. Vučić also said Serbia will maintain military neutrality and continue to build partnerships with both NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and Russia.
After becoming president, Vučić disbanded the traditional police security service responsible for president's protection, and replaced it with members of the Cobras, military police unit which contrary to the law, protected him while he served as the prime minister from 2014 to 2017.
During late 2018 and early 2019, thousands of Serbs took to the streets to protest the presidency of Vučić. The protesters accused Vučić and the SNS of corruption and stated that Vučić is trying to cement himself as an autocrat, which he denied. In 2019, Freedom House
Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...
's report downgraded Serbia's status from ''Free'' to ''Partly Free'' due to the deterioration in the conduct of elections, continued attempts by the government and allied media outlets to undermine independent journalists through legal harassment and smear campaigns, and Vučić's accumulation of executive powers that conflict with his constitutional role.
After Vučić's announcement of the reintroduction of lockdown
A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, thousands of people protested, accusing the government of missteps in handling of the pandemic, including the premature lifting of restrictions and downplaying the risk to hold the elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
. Some analysts said that they had not witnessed police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
which occurred during the protest since the Slobodan Milošević's regime.
According to Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
's annual report for 2021, Vučić's mandate is characterized by human rights violations, restrictions on freedom of expression and campaigns of harassment against the opposition figures, journalists and media outlets.
Vučić participated in the 2022 general election as the presidential candidate of the Serbian Progressive Party. He won 58% of the popular vote in the first round, and secured his second mandate as president of Serbia. Vučić announced the formation of the People's Movement for the State in March 2023.
Following the Belgrade school shooting and Mladenovac and Smederevo shootings in May 2023, large-scale anti-government protests took place against Vučić's rule. As a result, Vučić promised that early parliamentary elections
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
would be held before the end of the year.
Policies
Economy
After his election as prime minister in 2014, Vučić promoted austerity-based economic policies, whose aim was to reduce Serbia's budget deficit. Vučić's policy of fiscal consolidation was primarily aimed at cuts in the public sector. One of the measures was the reduction of pensions and salaries in the public sector as well as a ban on further employment in the public sector.
On 23 February 2015, Vučić's government has concluded a three-year stand-by arrangement with the IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...
worth €1.2 billion as a precautionary measure to secure the country's long term fiscal stability. The IMF has praised the reforms as has the EU calling them one of the most successful programmes the IMF has ever had. The GDP of Serbia has surpassed the pre crisis of 2008 levels as have the salaries. The economic prospects are good with GDP growth rising above 3% and the debt to GDP ratio falling below 68%
Corruption and organized crime
Vučić has pledged to tackle corruption and organized crime
Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...
in Serbia. He also vowed to investigate controversial privatization
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
s and ties between tycoon
A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
s and former government members.
On the other hand, data from the Transparency International
Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil s ...
showed that a significant increase in perceived corruption was seen exactly from 2012, when Vučić came into power. According to research conducted by the ''Centre for Investigative Journalism'', the battle against corruption in practice comes down to media announcements and arrests in front of cameras. "They are followed by a large number of criminal charges, significantly fewer indictments, and even fewer convictions".
In May 2023, the ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' published an article by journalist Robert F. Worth which described alleged ties between Vučić and organized crime in Serbia, particularly its leader Veljko Belivuk. It detailed crimes committed by the Belivuk criminal gang and court transcripts in which Belivuk stated he had met Vučić, worked directly under him and provided services such as intimidating political rivals. Vučić called the allegations "lies", saying that the article was ordered by the CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
months prior to send him a message and that it was written in Belgrade, accusations which Worth rejected.
EU and Immigration policy
During the 2015 – 2016 European migrant crisis
The 2015 European migrant crisis was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and Human migration, migrants into Europe, mostly from the Middle East. An estimated 1.3 million people came to the continent to request Right of asyl ...
, Vučić strongly aligned himself with the policies of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
, and publicly praised German migration policy. Vučić also stated that Serbia will cooperate with the EU in solving the migrant stream going from the Middle East to EU member countries through the Balkan route, and that Serbia will be ready to take some portion of the migrants. "Serbia will receive a certain number of migrants. This makes us more European than some member states. We don't build fences," Vučić wrote on Twitter, while criticizing the migrant policies of some EU member countries.
Policy towards Kosovo
Until the new coalition government was formed in 2012, during the time he served as the secretary general of the Serbian Radical Party, the largest opposition party at the time, as well as during his position of the vice president of then newly formed Serbian Progressive Party, in 2008, Vučić was highly critical towards Koštunica and Cvetković's administrations, and offered a "reversal" of the agreements made by Borko Stefanović and the other officials during the negotiation process. Upon forming the government, Vucic stated that his government "cannot pretend that that he former administrationwas some different state which made the deals".
Vučić was one of the key political figures in the negotiation process on Serbia's bid for EU accession, traveling to Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
for talks with the EU's Foreign Affairs High Commissioner, Baroness Ashton, as well as to North Mitrovica
North Mitrovica; or ''Mitrovicë Veriore'' or North Kosovska Mitrovica, is a town and municipality located in Mitrovica District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has a population of 29,460 inhabitants. It covers an area of .
North Mitrovica is a par ...
to discuss the details of a political settlement between on behalf of the Government of Serbia and Kosovo administration. During his visit to North Kosovo
North Kosovo (, ); also known as the Ibar Kolašin (, or ''Kollashini i Ibrit''); earlier Old Kolašin, (, or ''Kollashini i Vjetër'') and colloquially known as the North (, ) is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, generally understood ...
, to garner support for the Brussels-brokered deal, he urged Kosovo Serbs to "leave the past and think about the future".
In 2017, Vučić criticized the EU for "hypocrisy and double standards over its very different attitude towards separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
crises in Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
and Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
". In September 2018 in a speech to Kosovo Serbs he stated: "Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
was a great Serbian leader, he had the best intentions, but our results were far worse." Journalists report that Vučić advocates the partition of Kosovo, in what he refers to as "ethnic demarcation with Albanians".
On 27 May 2019, during a special session of the Serbian parliament on Kosovo, Vučić said: "We need to recognize that we have been defeated... We lost the territory." while also criticizing the 'unprincipled attitude of great power
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...
s' and "no one reacting to announcements for the formation of a Greater Albania". He stated that Serbia no longer controlled Kosovo and that a compromise was needed on the issue through a future referendum in the country. Vučić has close links to the Serb List and he invited Kosovo Serbs to vote for them in the elections.
On 20 January 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between their capitals for the first time in more than two decades. The deal came after months of diplomatic talks by Richard Grenell
Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American diplomat, public official, and former public relations consultant who has served as Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, special presid ...
, the United States ambassador to Germany
The United States has had diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany under its various forms of governments and leaders since 1871, and its principal predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835. These relations were broken twice ...
, who was named special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo relations by President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
the year before. Vučić welcomed the flights agreement and tweeted his thanks to American diplomats.
On 4 September 2020 Serbia and Kosovo signed an agreement
Agreement may refer to:
Agreements between people and organizations
* Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law
* Trade agreement, between countries
* Consensus (disambiguation), a decision-making process
* Contract, enforceable in a court of ...
at the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
in Washington D.C., in the presence of US president Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. In addition to the economic agreement, Serbia agreed to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
from Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
starting in June 2021 and Israel and Kosovo agreed to mutually recognise each other.
Open Balkan
On 10 October 2019, together with Edi Rama
Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama; 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, artist and writer who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was M ...
, Prime Minister of Albania, and Zoran Zaev
Zoran Zaev (, ; born 8 October 1974) is a Macedonian economist and politician who served as prime minister of North Macedonia from May 2017 to January 2020, and again from August 2020 to January 2022.
Prior to entering politics, he ran a privat ...
, Prime Minister of North Macedonia
The prime minister of North Macedonia (, ), officially the President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia (, ), is the head of government of North Macedonia.
The prime minister is the head of the Government of North Macedonia, ca ...
, Vučić signed the so-called Mini Schengen (now known as Open Balkan) deal on regional economic cooperation, including on the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labor between their three countries, while they await progress on EU enlargement. A month later, the leaders presented a set of proposals to achieve the " four freedoms" and the first steps towards them, including the possibility to the open border
An open border is a border that enables Freedom of movement, free movement of people and often of goods between jurisdictions with no restrictions on movement and is lacking a border control. A border may be an open border due to intentional leg ...
area. In December, the three leaders also met with Milo Đukanović
Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...
, President of Montenegro
The president of Montenegro () is the head of state of Montenegro. The current president is Jakov Milatović since 20 May 2023. The official residence of the president is the Blue Palace in Cetinje.
The president is constitutionally limited to ...
, opening the possibility for the country to join the zone. Following the 2020 Kosovo and Serbia economic agreement the two sides pledged to join the Mini Schengen Zone.
Relations with Croatia
In 2007 Vučić stated that the Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina is a branch of the Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union (, , HDZ) is a major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. Since 2016, it has been the ruling political party in Croatia under the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. It is one of the ...
. In 2008, with the establishment of the Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
, Vučić said that the goal of a Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, inclu ...
taking Croatian territory up to the proposed Virovitica-Karlovac-Karlobag line "is unrealistic and silly". The Croatian newspaper ''Jutarnji list
() is a Croatian daily newspaper based in Zagreb. It was published on 6 April 1998 by EPH (Europapress holding, owned by Ninoslav Pavić), which eventually changed its name in Hanza Media after being bought by Marijan Hanžeković. The newspap ...
'' claimed in a reportage that none of his family members had been killed during World War II, upon which he replied that these were "brutal lies and attacks on his family".[
During 2015 and 2016, relations between Croatia and Serbia were further affected by to the ongoing migrant crisis, when Croatia decided to close its border with Serbia. In September 2015, Croatia barred all cargo traffic from Serbia, due to the migrant influx coming from Serbia in a move which further eroded the fragile relations between the two countries. In response to these actions, Vučić announced that counter measures will be enacted if an agreement with Croatia is not reached.
The dispute was eventually resolved through the mediation of the ]EU Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of members of the Commission ( directorial system, informally known as "commissioners") corresponding t ...
, yet the relations between the two neighboring countries remain fragile.
On 31 March 2016, Vojislav Seselj, leader of the Serbian Radical Party, was acquitted of War Crime charges in the Hague Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. The verdict has caused controversy in Croatia. Vučić distanced himself from Šešelj and his policy, but stated that the verdict should not be used as a tool for political pressure on Serbia.
On 7 April 2016, Croatia refused to endorse the EU Commission opinion to open Chapter 23, a part of Serbia's EU accession negotiations, thus effectively blocking Serbia' EU integration process. Serbia accused Croatia of obstructing its EU membership, and Vučić said that his government was: ''"Stunned by Croatia's decision not to support Serbia's European path."''
Croatia has not agreed for Serbia to open negotiations of Chapter 23.
On 14 April 2016, the EU Commission rejected Croatian arguments in its dispute with Serbia.
On 23 May 2023 Vučić accused Croatia of attempting to topple the government in Serbia.
Relations with Russia
Vučić has maintained traditional good relations between Serbia and Russia, and his government refused to enact sanctions on Russia, following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war
The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
. Vučić has repeatedly announced that Serbia will remain committed to its European integration, but also maintain historic relations with Russia. "We have proven our sincere and friendly attitude to Russia by being one of the European countries that refused to impose sanctions on Russia," Vučić said after meeting with Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
. "Serbia will continue pursuing this policy in the future."
During Vučić's mandate, Serbia has continued to expand its economic ties with Russia, especially by increasing Serbian exports to Russia. In early 2016, after a meeting with the Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, Vučić announced the possibility of Serbia boosting its military cooperation with Russia by purchasing Russian missile systems.
In December 2017, Vučić made an official visit to the Russian Federation for the first time as the president of Serbia. He expressed his gratefulness to Russia for protecting Serbian national interests, and stated that: "Serbia will never impose sanctions on the Russian Federation (in relation to the international sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
International sanctions have been imposed against Russia and Crimea during the Russo-Ukrainian War by a large number of countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, and international organisations following the Russia ...
)". During his visit, he focused on strengthening cooperation in the field of military industry and energy.
On 25 February 2022, Vučić said Serbia would not impose sanctions against Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
.
On 24 February 2024, Croatian foreign minister Gordan Grlić-Radman described Vučić as a Russian "satellite" in the Balkans during an interview on N1, adding that Vucic must decide whether to side with Russia or the European Union "because it is impossible and uncomfortable sitting on two chairs at the same time." Vučić denied the allegation, saying that Grlić-Radman "brutally interferes in the internal affairs of Serbia, but as usual he lies and insults the Serbian people and threatens its citizens." The Serbian foreign ministry issued a note of protest saying that it expected Croatian officials to "refrain from statements that represent interference in the internal affairs of Serbia and will lead a policy of reconciliation and good-neighborly relations between the two states."
On 24 February 2025, Vučić took responsibility and apologised after Serbia voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
resolution calling Russia an aggressor state over its invasion of Ukraine. Vučić attributed Serbia's vote to his being "tired" and having "too many things (to deal with)", adding that Serbia was originally slated to abstain.
On 11 June 2025, Vučić made his first visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion to attend a summit in Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
hosted by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
. During the visit, Vučić said he supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Relations with the United States
In July 2017 Vučić visited the United States and met with U.S. vice president Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, where they discussed U.S. support for Serbia's efforts to join the European Union, the need for continued reforms, and further progress in normalizing the relationship with Kosovo. Referencing the proposed land swap arrangement between Serbia and Kosovo, U.S. national security advisor John Bolton
John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican Party (United States), Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to ...
has said that the United States would not oppose a territorial exchange between Kosovo and Serbia to resolve their long-running dispute. The U.S. State Department continues to maintain that the full normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo is "essential for regional stability", which Vučić has said before.
Relations with China
Vučić has sought closer cooperation with China. He has met with Chinese president Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
in 2016, 2018, and 2019. After meeting with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
Wang Yi, he secured Chinese help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia through delivery of PPE and CoronaVac
CoronaVac, also known as the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, was a whole inactivated virus COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech. It was phase III clinically trialled in Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, the Philippines, and ...
vaccine doses, which has contributed to Serbia leading COVID-19 vaccination rates in Europe. In October 2023, he signed a free-trade deal with China. During an interview with China Global Television Network in February 2024, Vucic said, "Taiwan is China — and it’s up to you what, when and how you’re going to do it — full stop".
The media
In 2014, Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media functions as a watchdog on media developments in all 57 participating member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He or she provides early warning on violations ...
, wrote Vučić and made attention with the suppression of the media, which he denied and demanded an apology from OSCE. According to the 2015 Freedom House
Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...
report and the 2017 Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
report, media outlets and journalists has become subject to pressure after criticizing the government of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić.[Serbia]
, Freedom House
Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...
2015. Retrieved 6 April 2016 Serbian media are also heavily dependent on advertising contracts and government subsidies which make journalists and media outlets exposed to economic pressures, such as payment defaults, termination of contracts and the like. Four popular political talk TV programs were canceled in 2014, including the renowned political talk show Utisak nedelje by Olja Bećković, which had been running for 24 years and was well known for its critical scrutiny of all governments since it began. In first report after Vučić took the office, European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
expressed concerns about deteriorating conditions for the full exercise of freedom of expression. Report said there was a growing trend of self-censorship which combined with undue influence on editorial policies. Reports published in 2016 and 2018 stated that no progress was made to improve conditions for the full exercise of freedom of expression. In July 2016, the ruling party organized an exhibition of government-critical press articles and social media posts, labeled as 'lies', saying that they wanted to document wrongful attacks and to prove there is no official censorship. In 2017, Freedom House reported that Serbia posted one of the largest single-year declines in press freedom among all the countries and territories. Also, they emphasized that Vučić had sought to squeeze critical media out of the market and discredit the few journalists with the funds and fortitude to keep working. Some commentators have described that Vučić built the cult of personality
A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...
, with the significant role of mass media.
Observers described that during the campaign for the 2017 presidential election, Vučić had ten times more airtime on national broadcasters than all other candidates combined and mainstream media under Vučić's control have been demonizing most of the opposition presidential candidates, without giving them the opportunity to respond. Organizations that observed the elections emphasized that the presence of Vučić in newspaper and the electronic media during the presidential campaign was disproportionate, adding that media have lost their critical role and that they have become a means of political propaganda. The OSCE Report explains that general reluctance of media to report critically on or to challenge the governing authorities, significantly reduced the amount of impartial information available to voters. They also mentioned that the government used public resources to support Vučić. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
reported harassment and physical assaults on journalists during the presidential inauguration ceremony, after Vučić won the elections.
In 2018, International Research & Exchanges Board described the situation in the media in Serbia as the worst in recent history, and that Media Sustainability Index dropped because the most polarized media in almost 20 years, an increase in fake news
Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
and editorial pressure on media. They also pointed out that the judiciary responds promptly only in cases in which the media allegedly violates the rights of authorities and ruling parties. The increased government control of the media comes as Serbian journalists face more political pressure and intimidation, in 2018 ''the Independent Association of Serbian Journalists'' recorded the highest number of attacks against journalists in decade. According to Serbian investigative journalism portal ''Crime and Corruption Reporting Network'', more than 700 fake news were published on the front pages of pro-government tabloids during 2018. Many of them were about alleged attacks on Vućić and attempts of coups, as well as messages of support to him by Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. The bestselling newspaper in Serbia is the pro-government tabloid ''Informer
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...
'', which most often presents Vučić as a powerful person under constant attack, and also has anti-European content and pro-war rhetoric. After Vučić was hospitalized for cardiovascular problems in November 2019, his associates and pro-regime media accused the journalists of worsening the president's health by asking questions about alleged corruption by government ministers. The Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
warned that the investigative outlet was target of smear campaign from the state after they caught Vučić's son with members of crime groups, while the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a global network of Investigative journalism, investigative journalists. It was founded in 2006 and specializes in organized crime and corruption.
It publishes its stories through ...
reported that Vučić "pledges to fight the lies". In early November 2021, seven US Congressman have accused Vučić of deepening corruption and putting pressure on the media.
Internet surveillance
Since Vučić's party came to power, Serbia has seen a surge of internet trolls
In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, an online video game) or who performs similar behaviors in real life. The methods and m ...
and pages on social networks praising the government and attacking its critics, free media and the opposition in general. That includes a handful of dedicated employees running fake accounts, but also the Facebook page associated with a Serbian franchise of the far-right Breitbart News
''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...
website. On 26 March 2020, Twitter announced that they had shut down a network of 8,500 spam
Spam most often refers to:
* Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation
* Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages
** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages
...
accounts that worked in concert to write 43 million tweets praising president Vučić and his party, boosting Vučić-aligned content to increase its visibility and popularity, and attacking his political opponents.
Criticism and controversies
Public profile
Some commentators have compared Vučić to other strongmen in European politics and accused him of being an autocrat.
Greater Serbia
Until 2008, Vučić publicly supported the Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, inclu ...
ideology, which he testified was envisaged as extending to a western border running along the Virovitica–Karlovac–Karlobag line. In 1995, during the Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
, Vučić said in Glina (which was at the time controlled by Serbs rebels) that 'Serbian Krajina' and Glina would never be Croatian, Banovina would never be returned to Croatia, and that if Serbian Radical Party had won elections, Serbs would have lived in Greater Serbia. In another speech from the early 2000s, Vučić called Karlobag
Karlobag is a naselje, village and a seaside municipalities of Croatia, municipality on the Adriatic coast in Croatia, located at the foot of the Velebit mountain, overlooking the island of Pag (island), Pag, west of Gospić and south of Senj. The ...
, Ogulin
Ogulin () is a town in central Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the nearby ...
, Karlovac
Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377.
Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...
and Virovitica
Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungary, Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). I ...
"Serbian towns", stated that "they RS' criticsrejoice that Ustaše (referring to Croats) have occupied Serbian lands and want to convince us Serbian radicals that it wasn't Serbian, that we were saying nonsenses. (...) We want what's ours, Serbian." After split from the Serbian Radical Party and creation of the Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
, Vučić said he no longer supports the Greater Serbia ideology.
On 1 September 2020, Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović
Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...
accused Vučić and Belgrade-based media of interfering in the internal politics of Montenegro
, image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg
, coa_size = 80
, national_motto =
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, as well of allegedly trying to revive a "Greater Serbia policy".
Srebrenica massacre and Ratko Mladić
Only a few days after more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
were killed by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) and paramilitary groups from Serbia in the Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by unit ...
, Vučić said on 20 July 1995 in the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
in a comment on the NATO bombing campaign against the VRS positions that "for every Serb killed, we will kill 100 Muslims". In 2015, he said that his statement from 1995 was "taken out of context" and "that was not the essence of that sentence."
Before leaving the Radical Party of Vojislav Šešelj, Vučić openly and publicly celebrated and called for the protection of Ratko Mladić, a military officer convicted
In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...
of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In 2007, while Mladić was still at large in Serbia, Vučić distributed posters with the declaration "Safe House for General Mladić". During a parliament session he stated that the Serbian Parliament will always protect and be a safe house for the general and that any house in Serbia that bears the last name of Vučić will protect and shelter Mladić.
In the same year, Vučić organized a street protest during which street signs with the name of the assassinated pro-western Serbian PM were replaced with Ratko Mladić Boulevard street signs. This vandalism has become a frequent activity of Serbian ultra-right groups on the anniversary of the Zoran Đinđić assassination.
Vučić also participated in protests against the arrests of war criminals convicted later, including Veselin Šljivančanin
Veselin Šljivančanin (; born 13 June 1953) is a former Montenegrin Serb officer in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) who participated in the Battle of Vukovar and was subsequently convicted on a war crimes indictment by the International Crimin ...
, Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal ...
, and Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...
, who was president of his party.
In 2024, Vučić condemned the UN General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...
's decision to adopt an annual commemoration of the Srebrenica
Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa.
During the Bosnian War in 1995, Srebr ...
massacre.
Slavko Ćuruvija
It was during Vučić's term as the Minister of Information that Slavko Ćuruvija
Slavko Ćuruvija ( sr-Cyrl, Славко Ћурувија, ; 9 August 1949 – 11 April 1999) was a Yugoslav and Serbian journalist, newspaper publisher. His murder on 11 April 1999 in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia provoked international outrage and wi ...
, a prominent journalist who reported on the Kosovo War
The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
, was murdered in a state-sponsored assassination. In 1999, before the assassination took place, Vučić gave a front page interview to the tabloid ''Argument'' in which he stated "I will wreak vengeance upon Slavko Ćuruvija for all the lies published in '' Dnevni telegraf''" (Ćuruvija's paper). In 2014, Vučić apologized to the Ćuruvija family for having waited so long to bring the perpetrators to justice, and thanked everyone who was involved in solving the case for their work. Branka Prpa, Ćuruvija's common-law spouse, said Vučić participated in the murder and that he is the creator of the practice of persecution of journalists.
Remarks on journalists
At an SNS gathering in Bor on 2 March 2025, Vučić referred to a female reporter from the state broadcaster RTS who covered the 2024–present Serbian anti-corruption protests as an "imbecile". Vučić later apologized for the remarks, which were condemned by RTS.
Personal life
At tall, Vučić is one of the tallest world leaders.
On 27 July 1997, Vučić married Ksenija Janković, a journalist at Radio Index and ''Srpska reč''. The couple had two children before divorcing. Janković died on 29 January 2022. At some point Vučić married Tamara Đukanović, a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia. On 9 June 2017, a week after Vučić took the presidential office, his wife gave birth to a son.
Apart from Serbian, he is fluent in Russian, English, and German. He learned Russian in a Belgrade high school and every second day of the week took a Russian language course to improve his knowledge.
During the opposition period, he has frequently appeared in popular TV shows. In 2006, Vučić became the winner of the first season of the Serbian version of '' The Pyramid'', a talk show with a competitive element broadcast on Pink TV. He was the first politician who participated in the humanitarian dance contest ''Plesom do snova'' (in 2009) and the first politician to guest-star on a late-night talk show
A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show, originating in the American Media, United States. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It is charact ...
'' Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem'' (in 2010).[ He also was a guest judge in one episode of the third season of '' Zvezde Granda'', the most popular music competition in Balkans.]
On 15 November 2019, he was hospitalized at a military hospital in Belgrade due to apparent "cardiovascular issues". Three days later it was reported that he was released. Some, including his media advisor and the deputy mayor of Belgrade, have said that his health problems were in part due to pressure from journalists. Vučić explicitly denied this at a media conference shortly after his hospital stay, stating that these health issues were chronic in nature.
On 8 April 2020, it was revealed that Vučić's 22-year-old son, Danilo, had contracted the coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...
and was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Belgrade.
During July 2020 Vučić became a student at Belgrade's College of Sports and Health, with the goal to become a basketball trainer for juniors after he ends his political career. Some Serbian journalists have reported that a mandatory condition for entering the college was active participation in sports for three years, which was removed from the official website shortly after Vučić's enrollment.
Honours
Orders
Honorary doctorates
Honorary citizenship
Other
*Gold Medal of Merit of the City of Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
* Friends of Zion Award
*The key of the city of Banja Luka
Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...
, 2021
*The Great Cross of vožd Đorđe Stratimirović, 2021
*The Hippocratic
Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referred to as the "Fat ...
Medal, for contributions to the advancement of healthcare, Society of Physicians of Vojvodina, 2022
*Gold Medal for Merit, First Class, Security Intelligence Agency, 2024.
Notes
References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
Aleksandar Vučić profile at the Council of Europe website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vucic, Aleksandar
1970 births
Living people
Politicians from Belgrade
Prime ministers of Serbia
Presidents of Serbia
Deputy prime ministers of Serbia
Defence ministers of Serbia
Members of the National Assembly (Serbia)
Serbian nationalists
Serbian Progressive Party politicians
Serbian Radical Party politicians
Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent
University of Belgrade Faculty of Law alumni
Collars of the Order of the White Lion
Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
20th-century Serbian politicians
People's Movement for the State politicians