The congress also elected a presidency that will consist of five members: historian Milena Repajić; sociologist Isidora Aćimov; playwright Ivan Velisavljević, activist Ivan Zlatić and student Mina Milošević.
We stand in favour of a radical, fundamental change of the social system and building a socialist society. In that sense, the PRL is moving the political spectrum in Serbia to the left, member of the presidency Milena Repajić stated for Mašina.
Ivan Velisavljevic, another member of the PRL presidency, says that the new party is close to the members of the Party of the European Left:
Especially those in the region, such as the Workers’ Front from Croatia and the Left from Slovenia, as well as other workers’, left, eco-socialist and so-called red-green parties around the world.
Repajić and Velisavljević explained that the new party will not wait long to show the public what it stands for
Literally this morning we joined forces with the Joint Action Roof Over Your Head on preventing an eviction in Dalmatinska Street in Belgrade. We are simultaneously preparing the forming of all governing bodies, says Velisavljević.
Now that the party is founded we finally have a clear political articulation of the struggles we are waging in the form of the new Programme and the Declaration of Workers’ Rights, which we will present to the public, Repajić explains.
The PRL Programme indicates aspects of political struggle to which this party aims to contribute:
We will work in favour of Serbia being a secular republic in which dignified work free from exploitation, a roof over one’s head, healthy food and environment, free healthcare and education, gender equality and minority rights are guaranteed.
The new party’s announcement states that the Congress represented the end of a process of uniting left-wing forces in Serbia for a parliamentary struggle, initiated by an invitation the Social Democratic Union made public in 2018. Members of the SDU, as well as individuals from the Left Summit of Serbia, DiEM25, members of the student movement from Novi Sad and Belgrade, participated in the most significant unification of the left forces in Serbia in the last thirty years.
I.K., M.M.
Translation from Serbian: Iskra Krstić
This article was originally published in Serbian on Sep 7, 2020.
