President Aleksandar Vucic resigns as leader of Serbian Radical Party

Announcing his resignation as leader of the ruling Serbian Radical Party, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he would form a new political organization called the "Movement for the People and the State."

Tong thong Aleksandar Vucic tu chuc lanh dao Dang Cap tien Serbia hinh anh 1 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic . (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In front of tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in the capital Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he will resign as leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on May 27 to promote national unity during a time of crisis.

The rally on May 26 was attended by government officials, leaders of ruling parties in Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as public figures and celebrities.

They came to show their support for the policy that President Vucic has adopted to overcome the crisis after two deadly shootings that occurred earlier this May.

President Vucic said he would form a new political organization called the "Movement for the People and the State" at the end of June. The organization's goal is to strengthen the country's unity and political capacity to overcome "the next two or three years of crisis" that he said "will be decisive for the future of Serbia."

Over the past two weeks, thousands of Serbs have taken to the streets to demand changes in their political and social systems, after two separate shootings killed 18 people - mostly young men and children - and injured dozens more.

Following the attacks, President Vucic has proposed a series of tough measures to improve gun control and tighten security at schools following two deadly shootings in the country in the past week.

Specifically, he proposed a temporary ban on licensing any type of gun, a nationwide weapons seizure order, as well as measures to increase regular medical and psychological testing for gun owners.

In addition, President Vucic said he would increase the size of the police force, including adding 1,200 new police officers, to improve security at the country's schools.

Mr. Vucic was elected President of SNS in 2012. In 2017, he was elected President of Serbia . Last year, President Vucic was re-elected for a second term./.

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