Belgrade has seen daily anti-government protests since a roof collapsed in November at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, killing 15 people.
Protesters including students, teachers and other workers have turned out in their thousands, blaming the disaster on corruption within the government of President Aleksandar Vucic.
"I opted for this step in order to reduce tensions", Vucevic told a news conference on Tuesday, announcing his intention to resign. He said the mayor of Novi Sad will also resign.
"With this we have met all demands of the most radical protesters."
Vucevic has been the head of the ruling centre-right Serbia Progressive Party since 2023.
Belgrade has seen anti-government protests since a deadly roof collapse at a train station last year (AP PHOTO)
Vucevic's resignation is likely to lead to an early parliamentary election. The resignation must be confirmed by Serbia's parliament, which has 30 days to choose a new government or call a snap election.
On Monday, tens of thousands of people joined striking university students in a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the Serbian capital. The students have been protesting for weeks, demanding accountability for the roof collapse that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
In another attempt to defuse tensions, Vucic, Vucevic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic on Monday evening urged dialogue with the students, who have garnered widespread support from all walks of life in Serbia with their call for justice and accountability.
Vucevic said the immediate cause for his quitting was an attack on a female student in Novi Sad early Tuesday by assailants allegedly from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
Vucevic said "whenever it seems there is hope to return to social dialogue, to talk ... it's like an invisible hand creates a new incident and tensions mount again."
Serbia's prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people, including a government minister and several state officials. But the former Construction Minister Goran Vesic has been released from detention, fuelling doubts over the investigation's independence.
with AP
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