Aleksandar Vučić facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Aleksandar Vučić
Александар Вучић
Vučić in 2024

President of Serbia
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 May 2017
Prime Minister	Ivica Dačić (acting) Ana Brnabić Ivica Dačić (acting) Miloš Vučević
Preceded by	Tomislav Nikolić
Prime Minister of Serbia
In office 28 April 2014 – 31 May 2017
President	Tomislav Nikolić
Deputy	Ivica Dačić Rasim Ljajić Zorana Mihajlović Kori Udovički Nebojša Stefanović
Preceded by	Ivica Dačić
Succeeded by	Ivica Dačić (acting) Ana Brnabić
First Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
In office 27 July 2012 – 27 April 2014
Prime Minister	Ivica Dačić
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Ivica Dačić
Minister of Defence
In office 27 July 2012 – 2 September 2013
Prime Minister	Ivica Dačić
Preceded by	Dragan Šutanovac
Succeeded by	Nebojša Rodić
Minister of Information
In office 24 March 1998 – 24 October 2000
Prime Minister	Mirko Marjanović
Preceded by	Radmila Milentijević
Succeeded by	Ivica Dačić Biserka Matić-Spasojević Bogoljub Pejčić

Personal details
Born	(1970-03-05) 5 March 1970 (age 55) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Political party	SRS (1993–2008) SNS (2008–present)
Spouses	Ksenija Janković (m. 1997; div. 2011) Tamara Đukanović (m. 2013)
Children	3
Parents	Anđelko Vučić Angelina Milovanov
Relatives	Andrej Vučić (brother)
Alma mater	University of Belgrade
Signature

Aleksandar Vučić (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician. He has been the president of Serbia since 2017. He is a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Before becoming president, he was the Prime Minister of Serbia from 2014 to 2017. He also served as the first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014.

About Aleksandar Vučić
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
See also

About Aleksandar Vučić

Early Life and Education

Aleksandar Vučić was born in Belgrade, which is the capital city of Serbia. His parents are Anđelko Vučić and Angelina Milovanov. He has a younger brother named Andrej.

His family on his father's side came from a place called Čipuljić. They had to leave their homes during World War II and settled near Belgrade. His mother was born in Bečej. Both of his parents studied economics. His father worked as an economist, and his mother was a journalist.

Vučić grew up in New Belgrade. He went to elementary school there and later to a high school in Zemun. He studied law at the University of Belgrade. He also learned English in Brighton, England. For a short time, he worked in London. After returning to Yugoslavia, he worked as a journalist. His relatives' homes were destroyed during the Bosnian War.

Political Journey

Vučić started his political career in 1993. He became a member of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in the National Assembly of Serbia. In 1995, he became the secretary-general of the SRS. He was made Minister of Information in 1998.

After 2000, he became a well-known figure in the Serbian opposition. In 2008, he left the SRS with Tomislav Nikolić and helped start the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). He was the deputy president of SNS at first. The SNS became the biggest party in the 2012 election. They formed a government with the Socialist Party of Serbia. Vučić became the first deputy prime minister. He was also elected president of the SNS.

He played a key role in talks between Kosovo and Serbia. These talks were helped by the European Union (EU). He supported an agreement to make their relations more normal. Vučić became prime minister in 2014.

As prime minister, Vučić worked on Serbia joining the EU. He sold state-owned businesses and made the economy more open. In 2017, he was elected president of Serbia. He was re-elected in 2022.

President of Serbia (2017–Present)

Vučić became President of Serbia on 31 May 2017. He promised to continue making improvements in the country. He also said Serbia would stay on a path towards Europe. Vučić stated that Serbia would remain neutral in military matters. However, it would still work with both NATO and Russia.

President Vučić with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez in 2022.

Economy and Growth

After becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Vučić focused on economic policies. These policies aimed to lower Serbia's budget deficit. He reduced pensions and salaries in the public sector. He also stopped new hiring in government jobs.

In 2015, Serbia made an agreement with the IMF (International Monetary Fund). This agreement helped to make the country's finances stable. The IMF and the EU praised these changes. They called them very successful. Serbia's economy has grown, and salaries have increased. The country's debt is also getting lower.

President Aleksandar Vučić with Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob and Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

EU and Immigration

During the 2015–2016 European migrant crisis, Vučić supported Germany's policies. He praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her approach to migrants. Vučić said Serbia would help the EU with migrants. He also said Serbia would take in some migrants. He stated that Serbia would not build fences, unlike some other countries.

Relations with Kosovo

Vučić was important in the talks about Serbia joining the EU. He traveled to Brussels for discussions with EU officials. He also visited North Mitrovica to talk about a political solution for Kosovo. He asked Serbs in Kosovo to look to the future.

Vučić (left), Donald Trump, President of the United States (middle), and Avdullah Hoti, Prime Minister of Kosovo (right), signing an agreement in 2020.

In 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to start flights between their capitals again. This was the first time in over 20 years. This deal happened after talks led by Richard Grenell from the United States. On 4 September 2020, Serbia and Kosovo signed an economic agreement at the White House.

Open Balkan Initiative

On 10 October 2019, Vučić signed a deal with leaders from Albania and North Macedonia. This deal is called Open Balkan. It aims to improve economic cooperation in the region. It allows for the free movement of goods, money, services, and workers. This is similar to the European Single Market. The leaders hope this will help their countries join the EU. Other countries in the region might also join this initiative.

Leaders at the Open Balkan Summit in 2021.

Vučić at the opening of the TANAP pipeline in Turkey in 2018.

Relations with Russia

Vučić has kept good relations between Serbia and Russia. His government has not put sanctions on Russia. Vučić has said that Serbia will continue to work towards joining Europe. But it will also keep its historical ties with Russia. Serbia has also increased its trade with Russia.

President Vučić with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Belgrade.

President Aleksandar Vučić with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018.

Relations with the United States and China

In 2017, Vučić visited the United States. He met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. They talked about U.S. support for Serbia joining the EU. They also discussed the need for more reforms.

Vučić has also worked to have closer ties with China. He has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping several times. China helped Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia. They sent protective equipment and vaccines. In 2023, Serbia and China signed a free-trade deal.

Vučić and Mike Pompeo in Washington in 2020.

Personal Life

Aleksandar Vučić is 198 cm (about 6 feet 6 inches) tall. This makes him one of the tallest world leaders.

He married Ksenija Janković in 1997. She was a journalist. They had two children and later divorced in 2011. Ksenija passed away in 2022. In 2013, Vučić married Tamara Đukanović. She is a diplomat. They had a son in 2017, shortly after he became president.

Besides Serbian, he can speak Russian, English, and German. He learned Russian in high school and continued to improve it.

Awards and Honors

Orders and Decorations

	Country	Date	Place
Order of the Republika Srpska	Bosnia and Herzegovina → Republika Srpska	15 February 2018	Banja Luka
Order of Makarios III	Cyprus	20 May 2018	Nicosia
Order of Friendship	Kazakhstan	9 October 2018	Astana
Order of Alexander Nevsky	Russia	17 January 2019	Palace of Serbia, Belgrade
Order of St. Sava	Serbian Orthodox Church	8 October 2019	Sava Centar, Belgrade
Order of the White Lion	Czech Republic	18 May 2021	Prague
Order of the Venerable Prohor Pčinjski	Serbian Orthodox Church	13 June 2021	Vranje
Order of Saint-Charles	Monaco	22 February 2022	Monaco City
Order of the Eparchy of Buda	Serbian Orthodox Church	19 August 2023	Szentendre
Order of the Slovak Evangelical Church	Slovak Evangelical Church	13 December 2023	Novi Sad
Hungarian Order of Merit	Hungary	23 August 2024	Budapest

Honorary Doctorates

Date	University	Note
2017	Moscow State Institute of International Relations
2018	Azerbaijan University of Languages

Honorary Citizenship

Country	City	Date
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Leskovac	10 October 2013
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Novi Pazar	20 April 2015
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Krupanj	24 July 2015
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Svrljig	8 May 2017
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Loznica	16 June 2018
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Trebinje	22 October 2018
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Drvar	21 July 2019
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Sokolac	29 July 2019
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Aleksandrovac	7 February 2020
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Banja Luka	22 April 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Šabac	22 April 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Smederevska Palanka	28 June 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Zvečan	12 July 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Valjevo	28 July 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Jagodina	29 September 2021
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Rekovac	17 October 2021
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Gradiška	18 April 2022
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Gornji Milanovac	23 April 2023
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Kladovo	27 April 2023
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Subotica	6 July 2023
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Sjenica	16 August 2023
Serbia	Honorary citizen of Prijepolje	7 July 2024
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honorary citizen of Stanari	27 August 2024

Other Awards

Gold Medal of Merit of the City of Athens
Friends of Zion Award
The key of the city of Banja Luka, 2021
The Great Cross of vožd Đorđe Stratimirović, 2021
The Hippocratic Medal, for contributions to healthcare, 2022
Gold Medal for Merit, First Class, Security Intelligence Agency, 2024.

Images for kids

Vučić and Tomislav Nikolić at the founding of the Serbian Progressive Party in 2008.
Vučić with US Vice President Mike Pence in 2017.
President Aleksandar Vučić with Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
Vučić with journalists during the European People's Party Congress in Helsinki in 2018.
Vučić at the EPP Congress in Madrid in 2015.
Vučić attending the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in 2015.
Tamara Đukanović, who married Vučić in 2013.