Our campaign coordinator has been recognised by Le Courrier des Balkans for his tireless activism in his home nation and the wider Balkan region

Dušan Pajović, the campaign coordinator of DiEM25, has been named person of the year in Montenegro by Le Courrier des Balkans.

The end-of-year list by the media outlet which covers news across the Balkan region recognised Dušan for his valiant and persistent activism in Montenegro, and features on a list of 13 Balkan heroes and heroines of 2022.

“The new striking face on the Montenegrin public scene”

The publication provided an insight into Dušan’s main areas of focus, political ideology and his journey so far with DiEM25.

“He is the new striking face on the Montenegrin public scene. With a master’s degree in social psychology, and an ecological activist engaged in public debate, Dušan Pajović is committed to the left. His areas of interest are Balkan politics with a focus on Montenegro, post-capitalist economy and society, green transition. He has cooperated with many organisations, such as Humanity & Inclusion, Animal Save Movement and UNICEF. A self-described “libertarian Marxist”, he is committed to LGBT rights and opposes any reduction in social rights. In his articles, he is committed to safeguarding the right to abortion threatened by the Orthodox Church. Dušan Pajović does not belong to any political party, considering that the Montenegrin political scene is a form without content and that the real left is not represented there.

“According to him, all current political parties are more right-wing than they declare. He took part in the Podgorica Pride Parade with a sign saying to the Church: “organise processions within your walls” – echoing the phrase often addressed to homosexuals by religious figures, “do that within your walls”, which earned him lots of snarky comments. Dušan Pajović currently holds the position of campaign coordinator of the pan-European movement DiEM25, of which he is a member of the Coordinating Collective, along with movement co-founders Yanis Varoufakis and Srećko Horvat.

“DIEM25 was founded in 2016 in response to the rise of the right and the ideological betrayal of left-wing parties such as Syriza in Greece or Podemos in Spain. The movement criticises left-wing parties that prefer to stay within the system rather than change it. It intends to found new political parties and Dušan Pajović says he is ready to join such a party in Montenegro. This supporter of the Green New Deal for Europe considers that it is impossible to promote nature protection without a programme of socio-economic transformation.”

Do you want to be informed of DiEM25's actions? Sign up here