Description: Student protests in Serbia marked 100 days since the fall of the badly constructed canopy in Novi Sad which killed 15 people. The student protest movement ever since gained significant traction and public support in Serbia which forced the resignation of Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. Students protested against grand corruption within the current Serbian government and tackled several other socio – economic issues which dragged the country’s progress backwards. President Aleksandar Vucic has labelled the protests an “outside intervention” aimed at toppling his government. German lawmakers and politicians have stated that destabilization in Serbia could inflame regional instability and plunge the country into further political and socio – economic disarray.
Impact: The student protests in Serbia have thrown the country in an actionable political crisis which could pose a serious risk to the stability in the Balkans. The large public support could see the country in early elections if the political crisis isn’t further deepened by retaliatory actions from the current government. The country is facing substantial issues since it aligned with Russia in their invasion of Ukraine and it’s on the perpetual political fence between the US and Europe. Civil movement of significant portions such as this could turn into widespread national crisis which could pose an important regional stability risk. The indications regarding foreign interference and possible orchestrated toppling of the Vucic government hasn’t gained traction although the Balkan region is known to have been one of the hypothetical intelligence playgrounds for regional and global governments.