This article analyzes the collapse of Aleksandar Vučić's political model in Serbia and its potential consequences.
- Vučić's political model lasted over 14 years before collapsing.
- The system relied on tight control and dependency among political actors.
- The future political landscape in Serbia remains uncertain after this shift.
After more than 14 years, Aleksandar Vučić’s political model has collapsed, according to the analysis published by BIRN. The article argues that the system fell not only because it had become vulnerable, but because a way was finally found to break Serbia’s authoritarian, all-purpose political structure.
That structure, the analysis says, relied on several pillars at once. These included tight top-down control over state resources, constant pressure to deliver large electoral victories, and links with financial power centres, criminal networks, drug cartels and hooligan groups.
The text also says that one of the regime’s key strengths was its ability to absorb or neutralize rivals across the political spectrum. In this reading, parties that entered cooperation with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, gradually lost their independence and became dependent on the centre of power.
How the political space was closed
BIRN compares this process to the way Milo Đukanović and the Democratic Party of Socialists dominated Montenegro for years. According to the analysis, every coalition partner that gained access to power was eventually reduced to an appendage of the ruling party.
As those partners weakened, staying close to SNS became the only realistic choice for many political actors. The result was a closed political arena in which competition existed in form, but not in substance.
The article suggests that Vučić’s departure does not automatically explain what comes next. The main question is what kind of political order can replace a system built on central control, dependency and managed competition.
For readers following Serbian politics, the issue matters because the end of a dominant party model can reshape parliament, local government, coalition building and relations between the state and business interests. It can also affect how institutions function, especially if the rules of political competition are rewritten after years of concentration of power.
The analysis leaves that future open. What follows after the end of the old system, it argues, is still unclear.
For more background on political developments in the country, see latest news.
Frequently asked questions
What led to the collapse of Vučić's political model?
The model collapsed due to its vulnerability and the emergence of alternatives to Serbia's authoritarian structure.
How did the political landscape change under Vučić?
Vučić's regime absorbed rivals, leading to a closed political arena with limited genuine competition.
What are the implications of Vučić's departure?
His departure raises questions about the future political order and the potential reshaping of institutions in Serbia.
