Born inBelgrade, he studied at theNinth Belgrade Gymnasium and theUniversity of Belgrade. As a designer, art and technical director, Lazović was involved in the art and civil society scene from 2010 to 2018. He co-founded and led initiatives such as Street Gallery, with whom he organised art exhibitions, and Ministry of Space, where he dealt with urban and cultural policies of Belgrade. A member of the board of directors of the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia from 2013 to 2015, he served as its president from 2015 to 2017.
Lazović formally entered politics in 2014, as an activist of theDo not let Belgrade drown (NDB) initiative, which was opposed to theBelgrade Waterfront project and organised several protests against it, beginning in 2015. After the demolition of private property inSavamala, he participated inmass protests from May to October 2016. He was a candidate in the2018 Belgrade City Assembly election, although NDB failed to win any seats. NDB boycotted the2020 parliamentary election, claiming that the election would not be fair, and later that year, he was elected a member of the Minor Council of NDB. He later took part in theenvironmental protests in 2021 and early 2022, becoming one of the main figures of the protests. Lazović was the candidate of theWe Must alliance for the2022 parliamentary election. He campaigned on environmentalist, anti-corruption, and anti-economic inequality policies. He was successfully elected, becoming a member of the National Assembly on 1 August and the president of the NDBparliamentary group. NDB was transformed into ZLF, a political party, in July 2023. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the2023 parliamentary election.
Radomir Lazović was born in 1980 inNew Belgrade, aBelgrade municipality, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia.[1] He grew up in a low-income family; his mother was a professor.[2] He studied at theNinth Belgrade Gymnasium and the Faculty of Agriculture of theUniversity of Belgrade.[3][4] After beginning his studies at the University of Belgrade, Lazović worked as an assistant on a construction site and then as a worker in a printing shop.[2] He did not finish his studies at the University of Belgrade.[5] In his youth he played basketball.[6]
Lazović was an active participant in the Belgrade art scene since 2010,[3][7][8] when he co-founded the "Street Gallery" initiative to be involved in "engaged art".[8][9][10][11] According to him, the exhibitions organised by the Street Gallery initiative occur every three weeks on average.[12] Their first "illegal" exhibition was held in 2010, although the official opening was organised in April 2012.[10] He co-founded the Ministry of Space collective in 2010, in which he mainly dealt with urban and cultural policies of Belgrade.[9] The Ministry of Space took part in reviving the "Zvezda" cinema in December 2014.[13] Lazović was one of the organisers of the2015 Transeuropa Festival in Belgrade.[10] He was also a member of the board of directors of the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia from 2013 to 2015, and its president from 2015 to 2017.[3]
Additionally, Lazović has also led the "Micro Art" non-governmental organisation, which showcases art in public spaces.[6][14] He took part in a 2011 fair it organised.[15] Lazović wrote the screenplay forFlirting, a short feature film made by Micro Art in 2012.[16] As a member of the informal group, "Cinemas – the return of the written off",[8] he had organised the re-opening of several abandoned cinemas in Belgrade in 2014.[13] He took part in theOccupied Cinema movie in 2018.[17] Lazović also co-founded and led the "Micro Amateur Film Festival" and "Inex Film" collectives.[8][9][18] According toMonocle, he has travelled across Serbia "with workshops, encouraging young Serbs to claim spaces for their own projects".[14] After formally entering electoral politics in 2018, his art and civil society career ended.[19]
Lazović has opposed the construction of the Belgrade Waterfront project. This image shows the location of buildings that were demolished in 2016.
Together with other Ministry of Space activists,[10] in 2014 Lazović co-foundedDo not let Belgrade d(r)own (NDB), aleft-wing initiative,[20] to oppose theBelgrade Waterfront project.[4][21] He described the initiative as a "coalition of organizations and individuals who are interested into the development of Belgrade" which opposed "shady deals made by investors and politicians for their self-interests".[22] Along withDobrica Veselinović and other members of NDB, he protested inside theCity Assembly of Belgrade following the adoption of the amendments to the General Urban Plan for Belgrade in September 2014.[23] At a protest outside thebuilding of the National Assembly in April 2015, he and other activists held a giantrubber duck.[22] In Serbian, duck (patka) is a slang term for fraud.[24] Lazović said the duck symbolised the project itself andlex specialis, which was adopted shortly prior in the National Assembly and expanded the legal structure of the Belgrade Waterfront project: "a big scam, or a duck that we must not fall for".[22] He added that "a duck is the symbol of fraud, but also of resistance to arrogance and arbitrariness".[22] He continued to take part in protests organised by NDB after July 2015.[25][26]
As an experiment, later that year he tried to buy an apartment in the Belgrade Waterfront complex.[27] In December 2015, Lazović and Veselinović were tried in Misdemeanor Court after allegedly violating the Law on Citizens' Gatherings.[28] Following the demolition of private property inSavamala, NDB began organisingprotests in May 2016.[29][30][31] Lazović took part in the protests NDB organised through late October.[31][32][33] The tabloid newspaperInformer, and television channelsPink andStudio B, attacked Lazović and other organisers during the protests.[34][35] During a protest-related interview in June 2016, he said "we have to find a way to marginalize professional politicians" and to put "people before profit".[31] Initially, several thousand demonstrators took part in the protests, and the number of demonstrators later grew to around 15,000.[31] In a February 2017 interview, he added that "when the protests get bigger, they get terribly afraid and do even worse things".[36] He also took part in the April 2017series of protests over that year'spresidential election.[37][38]
A month later, Lazović organised and held a public discussion regarding NDB's plans with Veselinović.[39] Lazović announced in August 2017 that NDB would take part in the2018 Belgrade City Assembly election, but would not seek partnerships with existing political parties.[40] In October 2017, he criticisedDragan Đilas and declined to cooperate with theDemocratic Party (DS).[41][42] Instead, Lazović stated that NDB would work with local initiatives.[43] Shortly before the election, he was detained by the police afterspray painting "crime scene" in Hercegovačka street in Savamala.[44] FormerOmbudsmanSaša Janković, leader of theMovement of Free Citizens (PSG), condemned his detention, while Lazović said he "did not know on what basis was he detained".[45][46] He was placed third on the NDB ballot list, although it only won 3.4 per cent of the popular vote, not enough to win any seats.[47][48] Following the election, Lazović stated that NDB achieved the results under "very difficult conditions ... [we] cannot be dissatisfied".[49] "Nothing will change even after the election ofZoran Radojičić as mayor", he said.[50] Lazović emphasised the formation of a "civic front" after the election, saying he was convinced that "a strong left-wing option would be able to enter the scene".[51] He later took part in a series ofmass anti-government protests which began in November 2018.[52][53]
Since the formation ofDo not let Belgrade drown in 2014, Lazović has organised and took part in several of its protests
Together with two local organisations fromNiš andKraljevo, NDB announced the formation of the "Civic Front" in February 2019. Lazović stated that the front would gather people around "the fight against poverty",[54] but he did not want it to be a part of theAlliance for Serbia coalition.[55] He received a notice from the police in July 2019 about having allegedly violating the Law on Public Assembly in 2016, which he described as "political".[56][57] During an interview he said that he would pay the fine.[58]
Lazović took part in the 2019Belgrade Pride event; he wanted to hand Prime MinisterAna Brnabić a rubber duck, the symbol of NDB, but she refused to accept it.[59][60] In October, he announced that NDB would boycott the2020 parliamentary election, claiming that the conditions were not fair.[61] Later he claimed that the government would fakevoter turnout.[62] In January and February 2020, Lazović, as the representative of NDB, took part in protests forclean air.[63][64][65] After the start of theCOVID-19 pandemic, he took part in the "Noise Against the Dictatorship" protests that NDB organised.[66] He also criticised the government's approach to the pandemic.[67][68] Following the 2020 parliamentary election, he proclaimed that "the boycott absolutely succeeded".[69] Lazović condemned the violence that occurred duringseries of violent protests in Belgrade after the election.[70]
In October 2020, Lazović was elected a member of NDB's Minor Council.[71] A day later, he took part in a debate with opposition political figuresMarinika Tepić,Pavle Grbović,Nebojša Zelenović, andJovo Bakić.[72] In December 2020, Lazović stated his support for cooperating with other opposition parties regarding electoral conditions.[73] He had also said NDB would take part ininter-party dialogues on electoral conditions with delegators from the European Union.[74] During those dialogues in 2021, Lazović supported separate election dates.[75] Lazović expressed his support for the formation of several ideological blocs for the2022 Belgrade City Assembly election in February 2021.[76] In July, he revealed to the public that NDB had been in contact withAleksandar Jovanović Ćuta, a prominent environmental activist.[77] He also added that pre-election cooperation with Zelenović would be also possible.[78]
Lazović took part in an environmental protest inLoznica in late July, shortly before the beginning of theenvironmental protests in September 2021.[79] Together with activists from NDB, Lazović reported in early August 2021 that a fire erupted inVinča.[80] Shortly after,Informer,Alo!, andPink claimed that Lazović and other NDB activists were the ones who started the fire.[81] Lazović denied the claims, stating that he received reports from citizens, and that "firefighters were also present in the area".[82] A few days later, he announced that NDB had received support from theEuropean Green Party, as well as from the Croatianeco-socialistWe Can and Montenegrin greenUnited Reform Action political parties.[83] Lazović took part in organised environmental protests from September through February 2022.[84][85] He again condemned the violence that took place during those protests.[86]
In late September 2021, Lazović and Zelenović presented a proposal for cooperation between the opposition parties, which also included the formation of ideological blocs for thenext year's general election, something Lazović had previously proposed.[87] A month later, Lazović announced that NDB would take part in that election; he also endorsed Veselinović as the candidate formayor of Belgrade.[88] By then, the media had begun labelling the coalition between Ćuta, Lazović, and Zelenović as the "green-left" bloc.[89] In late December 2021, Lazović opposed thenext month's constitutional referendum.[90]
Lazović was elected to the National Assembly of Serbia in 2022
The "green-left" bloc was formalised in January 2022 under the nameWe Must.[91] Lazović supported the nomination of a joint opposition candidate for the presidential election, although he expressed his dissatisfaction on the political talk showUtisak nedelje saying other parties did not respond to requests to discuss the issue.[92][93] A month later, the We Must coalition nominatedBiljana Stojković.[94] Lazović describedZdravko Ponoš, theUnited for the Victory of Serbia coalition-nominated presidential candidate, as the candidate of "right-wingers".[95] Lazović took part in the We Must election campaign,[96] during which he emphasised non-aggressive tactics towards other opposition parties.[97] He campaigned on an environmentalist,anti-corruption, and anti-economic inequality platform.[98][99][100] He also took part in debates organised by theRadio Television of Serbia.[101][102] Lazović was placed sixth on the We Must ballot list for the parliamentary election, and was also a candidate in the2022 Belgrade City Assembly election.[103] The We Must coalition won 4.7 per cent of the popular vote and 13 seats in the National Assembly, guaranteeing him a seat.[104] A day after the election, Lazović participated in a protest outside the building of the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK).[105] He was also elected to the City Assembly of Belgrade, but resigned in June.[106]
Following the election, he criticised Vučić's response to the inconclusive outcome of the City Assembly election.[107][108] He also criticised Vučić for meeting with Đilas, the leader ofParty of Freedom and Justice (SSP).[109] A dispute in the We Must coalition regarding its name emerged in June; NDB claimed it as its intellectual property, although it withdrew the request that it sent to the Intellectual Property Office.[110] Lazović said it would be property of the coalition and not NDB.[111] At the end of the month, he gave a speech in theEuropean Parliament, in which he criticised the Serbian government's policies on environment, quality of life, and therule of law.[112] A month later, he was attacked during an environmental protest inNovi Sad.[113] Lazović was sworn in as member of the National Assembly in August; he also became president of the NDBparliamentary group.[114][115] During his first term as a member of the National Assembly, Lazović was one of the most active opposition members.[116]
Lazović declared that NDB would remain in opposition to SNS.[117] He announced the re-formation of NDB in September 2022, stating that it would adopt a new name and work on to become a registered political party.[118][119] In October and November 2022,Srpski telegraf, a tabloid associated with SNS, published articles with unsubstantiated text[120] that were targeted against Lazović and his father who died in 2021;[1] the Press Council of Serbia later concluded thatSrpski telegraf violated the code of journalism with these articles.[121][120] In March 2023, Lazović took part in a protest against the allegedly illegal digging of theSava embankment inNew Belgrade,[122][123] while since May 2023 he has taken part in the massSerbia Against Violence protests, which were triggered after theBelgrade school shooting andMladenovac and Smederevo shootings.[124][125][126]
NDB, together with four local citizens' groups, was officially transformed into theGreen–Left Front (ZLF) on 14 July 2023.[127] As the president of the ZLF parliamentary group, he was one of the signatories of the Agreement for Victory document in September 2023, in which ZLF and other parties that have organised the Serbia Against Violence protests pledged to cooperate together.[128] In preparations for theDecember 2023 parliamentary election, ZLF and other parties organising the Serbia Against Violence protests formed thenamesake coalition in October 2023.[129] It was announced that Lazović would be featured first on the coalition's electoral list and that for theBelgrade City Assembly election ZLF would receive the most candidates.[129] Lazović was elected as one of the co-presidents of ZLF on 5 November.[130] Lazović was one of the main representatives of the Serbia Against Violence coalition during the 2023 election campaign.[2] As SPN won 65 seats in the National Assembly, Lazović was re-electedtantamount to election.[131] Once the14th National Assembly of Serbia was constituted in February 2024, he again became the president of the ZLF parliamentary group.[132]
Lazović is a long-time critic of theBelgrade Waterfront project,[133] which he calls "completely harmful ... to the public interest",[22] and "non-transparent and against the law"; he also called for the termination of the investment contract.[134][135] He said that "the aim of the project is to fill the pockets of individuals close to the government".[136] In January 2020, he opposed moving theOld Sava Bridge toUšće, a Belgrade neighbourhood.[137] A year later, Lazović said theStefan Nemanja statue [sr] should be moved to somewhere to be determined by experts.[138] The Stefan Nemanja statue previously received mixed responses regarding its location of placement, as it was put in front of the formerBelgrade Main railway station building, which was closed due to the Belgrade Waterfront project in 2018.[139][140][141] He supportspublic-run transport and opposed the "BusPlus" system.[142] He has criticised theSerbian Progressive Party-led government as authoritarian;[143] he has criticised its environmental policy and response to the 2023 mass shootings.[144][145] Additionally, he has criticised SNS politicians Vučić,Nebojša Stefanović, andGoran Vesić.[146][147][148]
Lazović hasasthma; he was ridiculed byMilenko Jovanov, the parliamentary leader of SNS, in February 2023 because of using aninhaler in the National Assembly.[171][172] His nickname is Mika, which is used by his close friends.[1][173] He previously wroteDnevnik borbe za naš grad (The Diary of the Fight for Our City) articles for newspaperDanas.[174]
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