Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
The strange case of the collapsing station roof claimed its second high-profile political casualty yesterday when Serbia’s prime minister confirmed his resignation in a smoke-filled national assembly in Belgrade.
Opposition deputies hurled smoke grenades towards the Speaker’s chair as Miloš Vučević, the PM and leader of the populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), stepped down.
Anti-corruption protests have steadily undermined the authority of the SNS and of Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, since 14 people were killed when a new station canopy collapsed on them in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad two years ago.
The station had been built by Chinese contractors among others, and allegations of corruption and shoddy work have weakened Vucic’s hold on power ever since.
His construction minister resigned in November, and Vucic himself has said he would step down (after eight years) if voted out in a referendum. He hasn’t called one yet.
