Could Serbia’s Youth Recreate Poland’s 2023 Election Shift Without Older Voters?

For Nina, Irena and Marko, politics had barely existed beyond Aleksandar Vučić. They were 11 when the Serbian Progressive Party came to power, and they did not vote in the previous election because university, finding work and other concerns felt more immediate.

That may change at the coming election. A survey by the umbrella organization of young people in Serbia found that almost 90% of voting-age young people would turn out, while nearly 85% support the activities of the student movement. The findings have raised a question: could Serbia see a “Polish scenario,” with young voters becoming decisive if they participate in large numbers?

Poland’s 2023 parliamentary election ended the long rule of Jarosław Kaczyński’s conservative Law and Justice party after strong mobilization among young voters and women. Turnout reached 74.3%, the highest since the fall of communism in 1989, and almost 69% of voters under 30 cast ballots.

“

I voted for the first time and honestly do not remember a Poland governed by the opposition

Serbia’s young people make up just under 15% of the electorate. The country is also considered one of Europe’s oldest by population, with an average age of 44.2 in 2025, according to the Republic Statistical Office.

Despite the student movement’s success in mobilizing citizens, some observers remain skeptical about its reach. Sociologist Ivan Živkov said the comparison with Poland has an important limitation. Poland in 2023 still had a damaged but functioning electoral democracy, he told N1, while Serbia had moved far away from that condition.

“

In Poland, electoral democracy was damaged at the time, but still functional, while Serbia departed from it long ago and by far