Thewesternbalkans.
In recent days, information has emerged that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has canceled or limited some of his public appearances for health reasons. At the moment, there is no official medical announcement about the Serbian president’s serious or life-threatening condition.
On May 15, Serbian and regional media reported that Vučić had refused to participate in a business conference (Business Summit 2026) due to “health reasons”, without specifying an official diagnosis. So far, the presidential administration has not published a detailed medical bulletin. There is no information about hospitalization or serious accident. “I hope he can return to his usual duties soon,” said the president’s media advisor, Suzana Vasilevic.
It is important to note that this is not the first such case. In May 2025, Vučić interrupted a visit to the United States and was examined at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade. At the time, Serbian authorities reported that his condition had improved after a short break and doctors had recommended that he temporarily limit his workload.
In recent months, the president has maintained an extremely intense public schedule: international visits; participation in security forums; domestic political campaigns; reactions to the ongoing public tension in Serbia; consultations on holding early parliamentary elections. This has led to repeated speculation in the Serbian media about fatigue and high workload, but without official confirmation of a serious illness.
In Serbian political circles, any information about Vučić’s health is monitored extremely carefully, as he concentrates a significant part of the executive and political power. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is highly personalized around his figure and the question of leadership succession remains unclear. Therefore, even short absences or canceled appearances often give rise to media speculation and comments about a possible political reshuffle and discussions about intra-party balances.
However, at the moment, there is no public evidence of a serious illness and it is probably a matter of temporary indisposition, fatigue or recommended rest. Serbian authorities are trying to minimize the public impact of such information.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s also declined to visit Montenegro, but for purely political reasons. On May 14, he said that he had been invited to the celebration of Montenegro’s 20th anniversary of independence, but that he would not attend. “I have received the invitation to the glamorous celebration of the secession from my Serbia. Naturally, I will not attend. I love Serbia more than anything in the world and celebrating that would mean a spit in the face of my people and my own. As for them – may they celebrate what they want,” Vučić stated.
“If all the rumors and assumptions about Vučić’s deteriorating health had turned out to be true, he should have been dead a long time ago,” said a source from expert circles, among whom, however, the latest reference to “health reasons” for Vučić’s absence raised questions about the Serbian president’s future international commitments.
