Aleksandar Vučić facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aleksandar Vučić
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| Александар Вучић | |
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Vučić in 2019
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| 5th President of Serbia | |
| Assumed office 31 May 2017 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivica Dačić |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Ivica Dačić |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 27 July 2012 – 2 September 2013 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivica Dačić |
| Preceded by | Dragan Šutanovac |
| Succeeded by | Nebojša Rodić |
| Minister of Information | |
| In office 24 March 1998 – 24 October 2000 |
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| Prime Minister | Mirko Marjanović |
| Preceded by | Radmila Milentijević |
| Succeeded by | Ivica Dačić Biserka Matić-Spasojević Bogoljub Pejčić |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1970 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 |
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| Relatives | Andrej Vučić (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Belgrade |
| Signature |  |
Aleksandar Vučić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Вучић, pronounced [aleksǎːndar vǔtʃitɕ]; born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017. A member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as the president of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, and prime minister of Serbia from 2014 to 2017.
Early life and education
Aleksandar Vučić was born in Belgrade to Anđelko Vučić and Angelina Milovanov. He has a younger brother, Andrej.
His paternal ancestors came from Čipuljić, near Bugojno, in Central Bosnia. They were expelled by the Croatian fascists (Ustaše) during World War II and settled near Belgrade, where his father was born.
His mother was born in Bečej in Vojvodina. Both of his parents were economics graduates. His father worked as an economist, and his mother as a journalist.
Vučić was raised in New Belgrade, where he attended the Branko Radičević Elementary School, and later a gymnasium in Zemun. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law. He learned English in Brighton, England, and worked as a merchant in London for some time. After returning to Yugoslavia, he worked as a journalist in Pale, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, he interviewed politician Radovan Karadžić and once played chess with general Ratko Mladić. As a youngster, Vučić was a fan of Red Star Belgrade, often attending their matches, including the one played between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star on 13 May 1990, which turned into a huge riot. The homes of his relatives were destroyed in the Bosnian War.
Political career
Vučić began his political career in 1993, as a member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in the National Assembly of Serbia. In 1995, he became the secretary-general of SRS. He was appointed minister of information in 1998. During his tenure as minister, which lasted until the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, Vučić introduced restrictive measures against journalists and banned foreign TV networks. After 2000, he was one of the most prominent figures in the Serbian opposition. Together with Tomislav Nikolić, Vučić left SRS and co-founded SNS in 2008, initially serving as its deputy president. SNS became the largest party in the 2012 election and SNS soon formed a government with the Socialist Party of Serbia. Vučić was appointed first deputy prime minister and elected president of SNS, becoming the leader of the largest party in the government. He was one of the crucial figures in cooperation and European Union (EU)-mediated dialogue between the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, advocating the implementation of the Brussels Agreement on the normalization of their relations. Vučić became prime minister in 2014.
During his tenure, Vučić continued the accession process to the EU by privatizing state businesses and liberalizing the economy. In 2017, Vučić was elected president of Serbia. He was re-elected in 2022.
President (2017–present)
Vučić was sworn in as President of Serbia on 31 May, in front of Parliament. He promised to continue with reforms and said Serbia will remain on a European path. Vučić also said Serbia will maintain military neutrality, but continue to build partnerships with both NATO and Russia.
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Economy
After his election as Prime Minister in 2014, Vučić promoted austerity-based economic policies, whose aim was to reduce Serbia's budget deficit. Vučić's policy of fiscal consolidation was primarily aimed at cuts in the public sector. One of the measures was the reduction of pensions and salaries in the public sector as well as a ban on further employment in the public sector. On 23 February 2015, Vučić's government has concluded a three-year stand-by arrangement with the IMF worth €1.2 billion as a precautionary measure to secure the country's long term fiscal stability. The IMF has praised the reforms as has the EU calling them one of the most successful programmes the IMF has ever had. The GDP of Serbia has surpassed the pre crisis of 2008 levels as have the salaries. The economic prospects are good with GDP growth rising above 3% and the debt to GDP ratio falling below 68%
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EU and Immigration policy
During the 2015 – 2016 European migrant crisis, Vučić strongly aligned himself with the policies of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and publicly praised German migration policy. Vučić also stated that Serbia will cooperate with the EU in solving the migrant stream going from the Middle East to EU member countries through the Balkan route, and that Serbia will be ready to take some portion of the migrants. "Serbia will receive a certain number of migrants. This makes us more European than some member states. We don't build fences," Vučić wrote on Twitter, while criticizing the migrant policies of some EU member countries.
Policy towards Kosovo
Vučić was one of the key political figures in the negotiation process on Serbia's bid for EU accession, traveling to Brussels for talks with the EU's Foreign Affairs High Commissioner, Baroness Ashton, as well as to North Mitrovica to discuss the details of a political settlement between on behalf of the Government of Serbia and Kosovo administration. During his visit to North Kosovo, to garner support for the Brussels-brokered deal, he urged Kosovo Serbs to "leave the past and think about the future".
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On 20 January 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between their capitals for the first time in more than two decades. The deal came after months of diplomatic talks by Richard Grenell, the United States ambassador to Germany, who was named special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo relations by President Donald Trump the year before. Vučić welcomed the flights agreement and tweeted his thanks to American diplomats.
On 4 September 2020 Serbia and Kosovo signed an agreement at the White House in Washington D.C., in the presence of US President Donald Trump. In addition to the economic agreement, Serbia agreed to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv starting in June 2021 and Israel and Kosovo agreed to mutually recognise each other.
Open Balkan
On 10 October 2019, together with Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, and Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Vučić signed the so-called Mini Schengen (now known as Open Balkan) deal on regional economic cooperation, including on the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labor between their three countries, while they await progress on EU enlargement. A month later, the leaders presented a set of proposals to achieve the "four freedoms" and the first steps towards them, including the possibility to the open border area. In December, the three leaders also met with Milo Đukanović, President of Montenegro, opening the possibility for the country to join the zone. Following the 2020 Kosovo and Serbia economic agreement the two sides pledged to join the Mini Schengen Zone.
Relations with Russia
Vučić has maintained traditional good relations between Serbia and Russia, and his government refused to enact sanctions on Russia, following the crisis in Ukraine. Vučić has repeatedly announced that Serbia will remain committed to its European integration, but also maintain historic relations with Russia.
During Vučić's mandate, Serbia has continued to expand its economic ties with Russia, especially by increasing Serbian exports to Russia.
Relations with the United States
In July 2017 Vučić visited the United States and met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, where they discussed U.S. support for Serbia's efforts to join the European Union, the need for continued reforms, and further progress in normalizing the relationship with Kosovo.
Relations with China
Vučić has sought closer cooperation with China. He has met with Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2016, 2018, and 2019. He secured Chinese help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia through delivery of PPE and CoronaVac vaccine doses. In October 2023, he signed a free-trade deal with China.
Personal life
At tall, Vučić is one of the tallest world leaders.
On 27 July 1997, Vučić married Ksenija Janković, a journalist at Radio Index and Srpska reč. The couple had two children before divorcing in 2011. Janković died on 29 January 2022. On 14 December 2013, Vučić married Tamara Đukanović, a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia. On 9 June 2017, a week after Vučić took the presidential office, his wife gave birth to a son.
Apart from Serbian, he is fluent in Russian, English, and German. He learned Russian in a Belgrade high school and every second day of the week took a Russian language course to improve his knowledge.
Honours
Orders
| Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | |
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Order of the Republika Srpska |  Bosnia and Herzegovina→  Republika Srpska |
15 February 2018 | Banja Luka |
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Order of Makarios III |  Cyprus |
20 May 2018 | Nicosia |
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Order of Friendship |  Kazakhstan |
9 October 2018 | Astana |
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Order of Alexander Nevsky |  Russia |
17 January 2019 | Palace of Serbia, Belgrade |
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Order of St. Sava | Serbian Orthodox Church | 8 October 2019 | Sava Centar, Belgrade |
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Order of the White Lion |  Czech Republic |
18 May 2021 | Prague |
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Order of Saint-Charles |  Monaco |
22 February 2022 | Monaco City |
Honorary doctorates
| Date | University | Note |
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| 2017 | Moscow State Institute of International Relations | |
| 2018 | Azerbaijan University of Languages |
Honorary citizenship
| Country | City | Date |
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 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 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 |
Other
- Gold Medal of Merit of the City of Athens
- Friends of Zion Award
Images for kids
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Vučić and Tomislav Nikolić on the founding congress of the Serbian Progressive Party, Belgrade, 2008
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Vučić with US Vice President Mike Pence (2017)
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President Aleksandar Vučić with Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi
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Vučić with journalists during European People's Party Congress in Helsinki (2018)
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Vučić at the EPP Congress Madrid (2015)
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Vučić attending the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, 11 July 2015
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See also
In Spanish: Aleksandar Vučić para niños
