Belgrade, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Serbia's ruling coalition has initiated discussions to establish a new government on Wednesday, following indications by Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and President Aleksandar Vucic of a potential snap election in April.
Vucevic recently resigned in connection with a fatal roof collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad in November that claimed 15 lives and sparked months of protests citing inadequate government oversight.
President Vucic has a 30-day window to nominate a new prime minister; otherwise, an election will be triggered. He mentioned a decision would be made within roughly 10 days.
The demonstrations have unsettled Vucic, a populist leader in power as prime minister since 2014 and president since 2017.
Renewed suspicions of corruption, vote-buying, media suppression, and links to organized crime within Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have surfaced following the Novi Sad tragedy, contentions the SNS and Vucic reject.
Protests initially erupted in Novi Sad and have extended to other parts of Serbia, including Belgrade, where student protest leaders obstructed a key intersection this week.
On Wednesday, protestors rallied again, displaying banners with messages like "Dare and Rise" and "Support to Students," affirming their intent to persist until their demands, such as holding accountable all individuals responsible for the railway accident and halting legal actions against arrested students, are met.
President Vucic's office announced pardons for several individuals, including students and educators involved in the protests.
Law student protester Igor Protic declared, We are very satisfied with the successes we have achieved...but we are not asking for the resignations of officials, but rather for the fulfilment of the demands - that this state truly becomes a state of law instead of being a police state.
The outcome of a potential snap election for Vucic remains uncertain. A recent IPSOS Strategic Marketing poll indicated SNS had 48.3% voter support in December, though dissent against the government has risen notably.
Teneo consultancy's Central and Eastern Europe Advisor, Andrius Tursa, suggested that SNS appointing an expert government could defuse the crisis. However, Vucic seems hesitant to pursue this option, which would diminish his political influence.
Opposition parties rejected the notion of early elections, proposing an interim administration excluding SNS as a preferable alternative.