Belgrade, 27 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is stepping down from the leadership of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he said on Friday at a major rally in Belgrade he organized amid a crisis triggered by two mass shootings that shook the country.

"This is the last evening that I will address you as chairman of the SNS," Vučić said.

The SNS is holding a party congress on Saturday. Vučić did not say who would succeed him as the head of the party.

The Serbian president has been determining the country's fate in various functions since 2012. Critics accuse him of an authoritarian style of government. His withdrawal from the SNS leadership has little significance in this respect. Vučić and his supporters control most of the media, judiciary and part of the economy.

However, two mass shootings that left a total of 18 people dead at the beginning of the month shook Serbian society.

Vučić opponents raised the issue of gun control at protests and demanded consequences. Opposition members pointed to the president's aggressive rhetoric towards political opponents as well as tabloid media, which in their view trivialize the violence of criminals and at the same time give Vučić a platform.

Vučić has been visibly nervous about the recent protests. He organized the large rally in Belgrade to demonstrate the stability of his power. Buses from all over Serbia, as well as from neighbouring countries with Serbian populations, brought participants to the capital. Media reported pressure on state officials to travel to Belgrade even against their will.

In the run-up to the rally, Vučić had described it as the "largest popular gathering in the history of Serbia" and promised at least 140,000 participants. According to observations by a dpa reporter and independent Serbian media, several tens of thousands were at the event in central Serbia.