Serbia's Prime Minister and President-elect Aleksandar Vucic has tended his resignation to parliament, paving the way for his inauguration as president.
Lawmakers are expected to confirm the move on May 30, before Vucic takes the oath of office at noon local time to succeed outgoing President Tomislav Nikolic.
Vucic’s first-round presidential election victory on April 2 came nearly a year after his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won parliamentary elections.
Once an ultranationalist, Vucic has solidified his grip on power by reinventing himself as a reformer committed to Serbia's drive toward European Union membership.
But some critics have warned that the SNS's control over the entire legislative and governing process could push the Balkan country back into the autocracy symbolized by former leader Slobodan Milosevic during his decade in power.
!["The Europeans' worry is whether America [is] reverting to a neo-isolationist, anti-globalist, America-first country," says Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. "And my answer would be no, I don't think that's happening."](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-c726-08dbf4d6b04e_cx0_cy3_cw0_w100_r1.jpg)
!["The Europeans' worry is whether America [is] reverting to a neo-isolationist, anti-globalist, America-first country," says Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. "And my answer would be no, I don't think that's happening."](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-c726-08dbf4d6b04e_cx0_cy3_cw0_w33_r1.jpg)
