Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday dissolved parliament and announced snap elections for ​next month as he seeks to extend his ‌hold on power by running for prime minister.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, that Vucic, a populist who has been in power as president or prime minister ​for 12 years, has faced nearly two years ​of anti-corruption demonstrations triggered by the collapse of ⁠a railway station awning in the city of Novi ​Sad in November 2024 that killed 16 people.

"Were the ​elections necessary for us if there were no such tensions, if there were no such political conflicts, certainly they would not ​be necessary," Vucic said in a televised statement. ​He added that any delay in election "would threaten the survival of ‌democracy."

He ⁠set the election date as October 25, confirming earlier statements on timing. A parliamentary vote was initially scheduled for next year.