Anger on the streets and at the ballot box

On October 25, students in Serbia managed to overthrow the government at the ballot box after more than two years of uninterrupted mass protests. On the same day, Lula da Silva in Brazil won his fourth term with a difference of more than four million votes in the difficult second round. While protests led by young people in France and India challenged the governments, on November 3 in the USA, Democrats gained the upper hand in both houses of Congress.

The factors that ignite the events are different at first glance: Corruption scandals, heavy working hours, the collapse of a train station, school conditions, leaked exam questions... Scratch the surface and the same question emerges: "Who always pays the price, why are those responsible not held accountable? Why are the politicians hand in hand with the wealthy?"

The ignition of the reaction in Serbia was ignited by the collapse of the eaves of the train station in Novi Sad in 2024 and the death of 16 people. The incident, which is considered a symbol of corruption and negligence, triggered protests led by students. The defeat of right-wing populist Aleksandar Vucic in the early elections was celebrated in the streets.

In Brazil, the right-wing candidate finished ahead in the first round, but the balance changed in the second round. Lula won by mobilizing the masses who complained about the high cost of living and worried that social programs would be cut.

His far-right rival Flavio Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for money laundering, did not accept defeat and fled to Miami despite the Supreme Court's ban. Lula also made fun of Bolsonaro after the US elections, saying that he brought "bad luck" to Trump.

Voters in the USA said no to the Iran war by voting for Democrats. According to polls, approximately 60 percent of Americans think the war is wrong; Even Vice President Vance said, “The reason we lost is the war.” Exit polls also reveal that voters see corruption and the cost of living as decisive.

The White House ballroom, to which technology giants Nvidia and Apple donated 25 million dollars each, seems to be the symbol of disconnection.

Let's come to the streets. Student protests in India created a crack in the Hindu nationalist BJP government led by Modi.

Protests that started in July forced the Minister of Education to resign; Generation Z's protests against the voter list revision continue. The source of the anger is clear: unemployment, leaked exam questions and the influence of wealthy businessmen allegedly close to Modi over the state.

In France, the fuse was ignited by high schools in the poor suburbs of Paris. The protests soon turned into a national movement against inequality.

Citizens send the same message, whether through ballots or protests: The order in which the rulers are considered untouchable and the burden always falls on the shoulders of ordinary citizens can no longer be sustained.