Vučić quits party, withdraws from politics

Aleksandar Vucic has confirmed that he is resigning from all party positions held with the Serb Radicals (SRS). The former party secretary general also told journalists in Belgrade on Monday that he is temporarily withdrawing from public life. Vucic quits party, withdraws from politics However, Vucic did not rule out the possibility that he might return to politics, but said that he would not choose the third way, independently of both Vojislav Seselj and Tomislav Nikolic, whose fallout resulted in the split of the SRS earlier this month. Vucic also said that he kept quiet during the past days in the hope that an agreement between the party factions could be reached, but that he failed to stop the widening rift on his own. The former high SRS official would not speculate on when he might return to politics, and said both Seselj's unofficial number two in Serbia, Dragan Todorovic, and Nikolic, were notified of his decision to leave the Radicals. Earlier in the day, the daily Blic reported that Vucic said he would be returning his parliamentary mandate as well. This was first announced last night by the recently resigned deputy leader of the SRS and current leader of the Forward Serbia MP group, Tomislav Nikolic. “Aleksandar Vucic has resigned from all positions in the Serb Radical Party and I believe that he has notified (new deputy leader) Dragan Todorovic of his decision,” Nikolic told B92, adding that he expects that his wish to form a new party with the SRS secretary general will become a reality. Nikolic said that it was only right for him to announced that Vucic left the SRS, because he is Vucic’s “political father.” “He left that to me, because he wanted to show how much it means to him for me to say it,” Nikolic said. He added that he cannot imagine Vucic as the secretary general of the SRS any longer, because that party is being led by people "who would not wish to be his parents". “He does not want to stay in the party. I suppose they were itching to be able to put him in the group they call traitors…,” Nikolic concluded.

Vučić quits party, withdraws from politics

However, Vučić did not rule out the possibility that he might return to politics, but said that he would not choose the third way, independently of both Vojislav Šešelj and Tomislav Nikolić, whose fallout resulted in the split of the SRS earlier this month.

Vučić also said that he kept quiet during the past days in the hope that an agreement between the party factions could be reached, but that he failed to stop the widening rift on his own.

The former high SRS official would not speculate on when he might return to politics, and said both Šešelj's unofficial number two in Serbia, Dragan Todorović, and Nikolić, were notified of his decision to leave the Radicals.

Earlier in the day, the daily Blic reported that Vučić said he would be returning his parliamentary mandate as well.

This was first announced last night by the recently resigned deputy leader of the SRS and current leader of the Forward Serbia MP group, Tomislav Nikolić.

“Aleksandar Vučić has resigned from all positions in the Serb Radical Party and I believe that he has notified (new deputy leader) Dragan Todorović of his decision,” Nikolić told B92, adding that he expects that his wish to form a new party with the SRS secretary general will become a reality.

Nikolić said that it was only right for him to announced that Vučić left the SRS, because he is Vučić’s “political father.”

“He left that to me, because he wanted to show how much it means to him for me to say it,” Nikolić said.

He added that he cannot imagine Vučić as the secretary general of the SRS any longer, because that party is being led by people "who would not wish to be his parents".

“He does not want to stay in the party. I suppose they were itching to be able to put him in the group they call traitors…,” Nikolić concluded.