Ana Brnabić takes over temporarily after Vučić resigns
After President Aleksandar Vučić resigned, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić became acting head of state. Brnabić’s appointment was made in line with the Serbian Constitution, but she can exercise presidential powers for no more than three months. During that period, a new president must be elected and sworn in.
Brnabić herself is unlikely to run for the office. She remains a divisive and unpopular figure in Serbian politics, and appears to understand the limits of her own electoral appeal. Her public image has long been useful for Belgrade’s dialogue with Brussels. At home, however, her liberal profile and personal life sit uneasily with parts of a conservative and traditionally minded Serbian society, making it harder for her to build broad national support.
Western education and USAID background
Brnabić has turned 51. She was born in 1975 in Belgrade, where she also completed secondary school. She later studied in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1998, the future acting head of state graduated from Northwood University in Michigan with a degree in business administration. She later received a master’s degree from the University of Hull in Britain.
From 2002 to 2011, Brnabić worked for USAID. From 2011, she worked at the American company Continental Wind Serbia, which promoted wind power in Serbia and reduced the country’s dependence on Russian energy resources. In 2006, she took part in creating the National Alliance for Local Economic Development. In 2013, she became its vice-president, and in 2016 its president.
A loyal Vučić ally with a pro-Western record
Before Aleksandar Vučić’s victory in the 2017 presidential election, Ana Brnabić was little known to the wider public. She entered high politics through the front door. After being elected to his first term, Vučić immediately appointed her prime minister. She held that post longer than anyone else in the country’s history, until she was elected speaker of the Skupština, Serbia’s parliament, in 2024.
Brnabić is a loyal supporter of Vučić. As an unpopular politician, she has often taken responsibility for unpopular decisions taken under Western pressure. Among them are support for Ukraine, joining anti-Russian sanctions and promoting the lithium extraction project, which critics describe as destructive for the environment.
The rise of Ana Brnabić as acting president therefore says less about her personal political strength than about the system built around Vučić. For now, Serbia has an interim head of state whose political profile suits Brussels better than it suits much of the country’s conservative electorate.
