Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has rejected claims by Democratic Party leader Srđan Milivojević that he would leave the country if he lost a future election, using the opportunity to portray himself as a leader personally committed to Serbia and its interests.
Speaking during a visit to a winery in Stanjevо, Aleksandrovac, Vučić dismissed suggestions that he would flee Serbia, while sharply attacking the opposition and questioning its ability to govern the country.
“They said I would run away, that I would leave. Why would I run away?” Vučić said, arguing that his government had transformed Serbia through infrastructure and development projects.
He also sought to emphasize his personal attachment to Serbia, saying that even imprisonment in the country would be preferable to living elsewhere.
“Every prison in Serbia is more beautiful to me than the sun anywhere else in the world,” Vučić said, adding that he had no house, villa, money or bank accounts abroad.
“Only my Serbia matters to me. I was born here, and I will die here, fighting for it,” he said.
Vučić also attacked Milivojević and the Democratic Party, saying he believed the opposition was concerned about its expected electoral performance.
His remarks come amid growing political tensions in Serbia and increasingly frequent references to potential early elections.
Vučić invokes Kosovo in warning against escalation
The Serbian president also addressed the situation in Kosovo, saying Belgrade would continue to use diplomatic and peaceful means to protect the Serb population.
“We are trying to fight with all diplomatic and peaceful means to protect our people,” Vučić said.
At the same time, he warned that Serbia would not accept what he described as the persecution or expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo.
“We do not need a conflict with NATO at this moment, but we will not allow the persecution and expulsion of our population,” he said.
Vučić’s remarks combine two recurring elements of his political messaging: portraying himself as personally devoted to Serbia and positioning his government as the principal defender of the country and Serbs in Kosovo, while presenting the opposition as a threat to political stability and national interests.
