Students Force Serbian Leader From Power

Aleksandar Vucic lost his grip on Serbia following an election held this weekend. Student-led protests against corruption and authoritarianism had continued for nearly two years before the vote. The outcome marks the first time a European leader has been removed from office directly by a youth-driven movement in recent history. Stasa Piletic, a student protester, described the morning after the election as a moment of relief. She stated, "I feel that we finally moved from protests to responsibility." The new government now faces the challenge of managing the state without prior political experience.

The unrest is not limited to the Balkans. Demonstrations have spread from the squares of Belgrade to the suburbs of Paris. In France, thousands of shops suffered damage or looting in recent weeks. Police responded with stun grenades and water cannons. In Brussels, 19-year-old Maya Gourdel has helped popularize the slogan, "If we burn, you burn with us!" The phrase comes from the film "The Hunger Games" and has become a rallying cry for young protesters. Gourdel argued that media attention only arrived after the violence began. She noted, "It's only when people started to burn trash or that kind of stuff that the media and cameras started showing us."

Economic data supports the anger expressed on the streets. A 2025 European Union survey found that 40% of people aged 16 to 30 are worried about rising prices and the cost of living. The risk of poverty or social exclusion is highest among those aged 18 to 24. That group faces a 26.3% risk, compared with 18.8% for adults aged 65 or over. In total, 92.7 million people in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Young people often feel they are carrying the financial burden of older generations who vote at higher rates.

The French economy illustrates this imbalance. The OFCE think tank reports that people over 60 make up a quarter of the population but own 60% of the wealth. Pensions are the largest public expense, on track to reach 14% of economic output. A government report released in October showed pension spending rose by 2.5 percentage points of GDP between 2000 and 2023. Over the same period, education spending fell by 0.5 points. Currently, 32% of the education ministry's budget goes toward pensions rather than schools.

Protesters cite specific local failures that fuel the broader discontent. In Milan, 21-year-old student Chiara said Italian schools lack enough teachers and have crumbling buildings. She added that graduates often face underpaid work and expensive housing far from their home cities. In a suburb north of Paris, 17-year-old Bilal Narjissi described his school as having staff shortages and rats. He recalled that students were evacuated last year when a roof collapsed on the courtyard. No one was hurt in that incident, he said.

The movement continues to expand across the continent. A demonstration is planned in Germany this weekend to address the cost of living, inequality, war, and the state of schools. In Albania, student-led protests against Prime Minister Edi Rama's government have engulfed Tirana and other cities. Architecture student Xyke Kurti said the prime minister spent 130 days ignoring student concerns. Many young Albanians now see their future outside the country. In Serbia, protesters remain confident in their ability to govern. Luka Stojakovic dismissed worries about their inexperience by saying, "We have seen where people with political experience have brought us."