Zoran Pažin ( sr-cyrl, Зоран Пажин; born 29 August 1966 in

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

) is a Montenegrin jurist and politician, former

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

and

Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro The Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, officially Vice President of the Government of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Potpredsjednik Vlade Crne Gore''), is the official Deputy of the Prime Minister of Montenegro. Conventionally all of the junior p ...

since was appointed by

Duško Marković Duško Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Душко Марковић; born 6 July 1959) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the Prime Minister from 2016 to 2020. Early and personal life Marković was born on 6 July 1959 in Mojkovac, Yugoslav ...

on 28 November 2016, and until 4 December 2020, when he was succeeded by

Vladimir Leposavić Vladimir Leposavić (; born 24 August 1984) is a Montenegrin lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and Human and Minority Rights in the Government of Montenegro and the cabinet of Zdravko Krivokapić from 4 December 2020 to ...

as the new Minister of Justice and

Dritan Abazović Dritan Abazović (, sq, Dritan Abazi; born 25 December 1985) is a Montenegrin politician who has been the prime minister of Montenegro since 28 April 2022. An ethnic Albanian, he heads the United Reform Action party. He previously served as de ...

, as new Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro. Graduated in Laws by the

University of Belgrade Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law of the University in Belgrade ( sr, Правни факултет Универзитета у Београду/''Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu''), also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educatio ...

, he served as judge of the Basic Court in

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

and representative of Montenegro before the

Strasbourg Court The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

. He is an independent politician affiliated with the ruling

DPS DPS may refer to: Schools United States * Dalton Public Schools, the public school district in Dalton, Georgia * Dearborn Public Schools, the public school district in Dearborn, Michigan * Decatur Public Schools District 61, the public school sys ...

. During his tenure as the Minister of Justice (from 2016 to 2020), Pažin was often described as one of the most powerful people in Montenegro. In 2019 he was one of the main initiators of the controversial law on religious communities, which de jure transfers the ownership of church buildings and estates from the

Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro refers to adherents, religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Montenegro. It is the largest Christian denomination in the country. According to the latest census of ...

to the Montenegrin state. As of late December 2019, the newly proclaimed religion law, sparked a series of massive protests followed with road blockages, which continued to August 2020. He was elected a member of the

Parliament of Montenegro The Parliament of Montenegro ( cg, Скупштина Црне Горе, Skupština Crne Gore) is the unicameral legislature of Montenegro. The Parliament currently has 81 members, with each member elected to a four-year term. Following the 2006 ...

, at the 2020 parliamentary elections, which resulted in victory for the

opposition parties Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

and the fall from power of the

, which had ruled the country since the introduction of the multi-party system in 1990. Pažin was elected from the electoral list of the ruling DPS, but resigned from the office of deputy in the parliament, soon after the announcement of the election results.Ostavka na mjesto poslanika u Skupštini Crne Gore - Zoran Pažin
zakoni.skupstina.me (2020-09-23)

References

1966 births Living people Deputy Prime Ministers of Montenegro Justice ministers of Montenegro University of Belgrade alumni Serbs of Croatia Serbs of Montenegro Montenegrin nationalists People from Šibenik {{Montenegro-politician-stub