Miloš Vučević (, ; born 10 December 1974) is a Serbian politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of Serbia from 2024 to 2025. He has been the president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2023, and was previously the Mayor of Novi Sad from 2012 to 2022 and the Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia from 2022 to 2024.
Born in Novi Sad, Vučević graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Novi Sad in 1999, after which he worked as a lawyer. He joined SNS in 2008 and was elected the president of the party's Novi Sad branch in 2011. He led SNS in the 2012 local elections, winning 16% of the popular vote in Novi Sad. Vučević became mayor of Novi Sad in September 2012 after ousting Igor Pavličić of the Democratic Party from power. He led coalitions that included SNS and the Socialist Party of Serbia, and later the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina and the Serbian Patriotic Alliance. As mayor, he redesigned the city's urbanism plan, worked on improving the city's infrastructure, and oversaw the beginning of the Novi Sad on Water project and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was re-elected as mayor in 2016 and 2020, becoming the longest-serving mayor of Novi Sad in 2021. During his tenure, Novi Sad was also the European Youth Capital and the European Capital of Culture.
Vučević was appointed minister of defence in the third cabinet of Ana Brnabić in October 2022. During his tenure, he played a role in the North Kosovo crisis, became the president of SNS, and allegedly sent weapons to Ukraine, though he denied the allegations. Vučević led SNS in the 2023 Serbian parliamentary election, in which they won 48% of the popular vote. After the elections, he became prime minister of Serbia. As prime minister, he worked on trade relations and introducing lithium mining projects, but was also met with environmental and education trade union protests. After the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, mass anti-corruption protests were organised by students in Serbia. He resigned as prime minister in January 2025 after a group of SNS members physically attacked students; he was succeeded by Đuro Macut in April.
Vučević's positions are populist. He favours military neutrality, but also cooperation with NATO and the United States. He supports participation in peacekeeping missions as well. He opposes introducing sanctions against Russia related to the invasion of Ukraine, but supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He also opposes the independence of Kosovo. Although a self-described anti-corruption politician, Vučević has been accused of corruption and having connections with controversial businessmen.
Early life and career Miloš Vučević was born on 10 December 1974 in Novi Sad, SAP Vojvodina, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia. His father, Zoran, was a lawyer and the president of the City Assembly of Novi Sad from 2004 to 2008 as a member of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS). He died in 2021. Vučević finished elementary school in Novi Sad and a gymnasium in Bački Petrovac. He then enrolled in the Faculty of Law of the University of Novi Sad, where he graduated in 1999.
After his graduation, Vučević worked as a lawyer up until 2012. Little is known about Vučević's political career before he joined the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in 2008. Nedim Sejdinović of the newspaper Vreme noted that according to some individuals, Vučević was initially a member of SRS, having joined the party due to their promotion of Greater Serbia.
He was elected president of the Novi Sad branch of SNS in 2011. During this period, he established close connections with the Vučić family, particularly Aleksandar and Andrej. He led the faction opposing Igor Mirović. In the 2012 local elections, Vučević led the party to winning 16% of the popular vote in Novi Sad. Initially, the Democratic Party (DS) obtained a majority in the City Assembly and retained control of Novi Sad. Igor Pavličić of DS was elected mayor of Novi Sad, with Siniša Šević of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) elected as his deputy. Pavličić's cabinet was also composed of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV). The constitutive session was boycotted by SNS, SRS, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), and Dveri.
After the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election, SNS, SPS, and United Regions of Serbia formed a government, ousting DS from power. Despite this, Pavličić said that the Novi Sad government would not change, believing that he has full support from SPS and LSV. On local level, SNS initiated successful no confidence votes, in which they toppled DS from power in cities such as Aranđelovac, Leskovac, and Užice, with the help of SPS. In September 2012, Pavličić alleged that SNS was trying to topple him from power.
Mayor of Novi Sad
First term
Vučević was sworn in as mayor of Novi Sad on 13 September 2012, ousting Pavličić in a vote of no confidence. His investiture vote was approved by 42 councillors; DS and LSV abstained from the vote, while SRS councillors left the session at its beginning. Vučević's deputy was Borko Ilić from DSS, while his cabinet consisted of 11 city ministers. Šević was also elected president of the City Assembly of Novi Sad, while Miroslav Ilić from Novi Sad was elected Šević's deputy. Aleksandra Jerkov of LSV alleged that SNS blackmailed councillors to topple DS from power in Novi Sad.
In his investiture speech, Vučević highlighted finishing the construction of Liberty Bridge and Boulevard Europe, the renovation of Stadion Karađorđe, and the completion of the sewage network in suburban neighbourhoods as his main objectives. Upon becoming mayor, the Novi Sad economy started to recover in the aftermath of the Great Recession. In an interview for newspaper Blic, Vučević revealed that, upon assuming office, he was met with problems in the public communal services, particularly with financial problems, noting that they were over-indebted and had frozen bank accounts. In November 2012, Vučević introduced five buses to the city's public transport, and expressed hope that the government of Serbia would continue funding the Exit festival.
In April 2013, SNS and SPS organised a protest in Novi Sad, demanding an early election for the Assembly of Vojvodina and the resignation of the president of the government of Vojvodina, Bojan Pajtić. At the protest, Vučević accused Pajtić of bad governance and of not "[representing] the people of the province". He also announced that SNS would start a petition demanding an early election and the resignation of Pajtić. In May 2013, Vučević and the mayor of Gomel, Belarus signed an agreement on their respective cities becoming sister cities, while in July, Vučević opened the Honorary Consulate of Belarus in Novi Sad in the presence of the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs. Vučević later opened the Office for People with Disabilities in September 2013. In November, SNS and LSV established cooperation for reforming public communal services.
DS called for the resignation of Vučević in January 2014, accusing him of being "incompetent". In response, SNS denied the accusations. Together with Irinej, the Bishop of Bačka, Vučević participated in a commemoration of the Novi Sad raid in the same month. Later in April, he was present at a commemoration of deportation of Jews from Novi Sad that took place in 1944. In December, Vučević attended a ceremony where the Health Centre of Novi Sad obtained nine new vehicles. In 2015, Vučević became a member of the board of directors of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development; he served there until 2016. Vučević was re-elected president of the Novi Sad branch of SNS in April 2015. In the City Assembly of Novi Sad, SNS established connections with Third Serbia in July 2015. Later in December, a substation was opened in the Rimski Šančevi neighbourhood of Novi Sad; Vučević noted that with its completion, the substation would improve the electricity supply of suburban settlements of Novi Sad. In April 2016, Vučević took part in the opening of the National Distribution Dispatch Centre of Elektroprivreda Srbije in Novi Sad.
Second term In the 2016 local elections, SNS won 41% of the popular vote in Novi Sad. After the elections, Vučević became vice-president of SNS alongside Marija Obradović, Marko Đurić, and Milenko Jovanov. In June, Vučević sought to create a new local government coalition; he formed a coalition including SNS, SPS, LSV, and the Green Party. The City Assembly re-elected him as mayor of Novi Sad in July 2016. His investiture vote was approved by 52 councillors, while 22 voted against. Srđan Kružević from United Serbia was elected his deputy. The new local government was dubbed "the most Novi Sad coalition without an ideology" (Najnovosadskija koalicija bez ideologije).
The City Assembly of Novi Sad voted in September 2016 to lower the salary of mayor of Novi Sad and other highly positioned officials. A month later, Vučević and Mirović, now the president of the government of Vojvodina, signed a document on joint investments into public infrastructure of Novi Sad, including the reconstruction of the University Campus, the expansion of Szentendre Road, and the construction of a new building for the Radio Television of Vojvodina. In March 2017, Vučević signed a letter of intent on cooperation with Siemens, on behalf of the city. A protest opposing the demolition of a city park was organised in May. In response, Vučević cancelled its demolition. A month later, Vučević was suggested as a candidate for the next prime minister of Serbia. In the same month, he signed a charter on gender equality. Later in December, Vučević's statement on the independence of the judiciary regarding the acquittal of former minister Predrag Bubalo was criticised by judges and the High Council of the Judiciary.
In August 2018, Vučević suggested the demolition of SPC Vojvodina (SPENS). This proposal was met with public backlash. In 2019, he backtracked the decision due to not obtaining public support. With the presence of Aleksandar Vučić and Johannes Hahn, the Žeželj Bridge was opened in August 2018. Vučević also unveiled the Peter I Statue in November. A month later, Vučević met with the mayor of Istočno Sarajevo, announcing that the two cities would establish cooperation regarding culture, sports, and economy. In 2019, Novi Sad was the European Youth Capital. The database servers of Novi Sad's city administration were hacked in March 2020.
Critics of Vučević note that the city's urbanism plan has changed during his tenure as mayor, primarily due to the wishes of investment companies. He also oversaw the beginning of the construction of Novi Sad on Water (Novi Sad na vodi), which was announced in April 2019. The project was presented as an apartment complex on the Danube bank, with Vučević citing London, Rotterdam, and New York City as having similar concepts. The plot of the project was bought by construction company Galens. The planned neighbourhood's construction cost around €2 billion. In 2020, the project became embroiled in a controversy, with critics arguing that the project served organised crime and corruption. The political opposition and non-governmental organisations opposed its construction; former mayor of Novi Sad Borislav Novaković also accused Galens, Vučević, and Andrej Vučić of corruption. The leadership of public company Vode Vojvodine (Waters of Vojvodina) was replaced by Vučević due to their opposition to the project; Srđan Kružević, Vučević's associate, was brought to the position of director of the company. The Institute Jaroslav Černi was also privatised due to their opposition. In 2024, the Institute was bought by Milenijum tim, a construction company with close relations with SNS. Vučević also oversaw the construction of Pupin's Palace by Galens. He expanded their property from 18,000 m2 to 31,000 m2, which brought the company €26 million in revenue.