Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (center), flanked by Minister of Defence Milos Vucevic (left) and Chief of the General Staff, General Milan Mojsilovic inspect soldiers during a military exercise at a ceremony marking the Serbian Armed Forces Day, at Batajnica military airport near Belgrade, on April 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

BELGRADE – Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic has been elected as the new president of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on Saturday in the city of Kragujevac.

Vucevic, former mayor of Novi Sad, Serbia's second-biggest city, was proposed as the next party leader by President Aleksandar Vucic, who previously resigned from that position in order to promote political and social unity.

Vucevic said Vucic only handed over the presidency of the party but "remains a member" within the party

"For us, this is not a discontinuity, but a unique story, the opening of a new chapter in our book. Our policy will not change, we remain a party that is the engine of the development of our homeland, but also a party that cherishes and preserves the traditional values of the Serbian people," Vucevic said upon his election.

Vucevic said Vucic only handed over the presidency of the party but "remains a member" within the party.

Vucic, who presided over the SNS party for 11 years, last year confirmed his second five-year mandate at the helm of Serbia.

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Addressing tens of thousands of people in front of the parliament on Friday, Vucic announced the establishment of a new umbrella organization unofficially named Movement for People and State, which will be centered around SNS in the future.