The Europe Now! Movement (Montenegrin and Serbian: / , PES!), is a centrist, pro-European, and economically liberal political party in Montenegro.A fresh face and dirty games in Montenegro's presidential election, IntelliNews, 16 March 2023Montenegro: The identity question as a sticking point, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, 17 March 2023 Founded in June 2022 by former ministers Milojko Spajić and Jakov Milatović, the party advocates free-market economic reforms, European integration, and anti-corruption policies.
History The movement was founded on 26 June 2022 by Milojko Spajić and Jakov Milatović, who had previously served as independent Minister of Finance and Economy, respectively, in the technocratic cabinet formed after the 2020 parliamentary election. The two had announced plans to establish a political movement in February 2022, shortly after the cabinet of Zdravko Krivokapić lost a vote of confidence in Parliament.Spajić i Milatović najavili osnivanje pokreta, Vijesti, 5 February 2022
Other founding members included former Defense Minister Olivera Injac and university professor Filip Ivanović. The movement was named after the “Europe Now” economic reform programme introduced in January 2022, which increased the minimum wage from €222 to €450 through reductions in healthcare contributions and tax reforms.Tajna izbornog uspjeha Pokreta Evropa sad u Crnoj Gori, Radio Free Europe, 25 October 2023
The party announced its intention to cooperate with centrist, civic, and minority interest parties, such as the Democrats-led and the URA-led coalitions, while criticising the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS), Democratic Front (DF), and Socialist People’s Party (SNP), accusing them of corruption and contributing to ethnic polarisation in Montenegro.Sa DPS i DF nećemo sarađivati, Demokrate i URA partneri nakon izbora, Dan, 2 February 2023Drago nam je što je strah od Evrope Sad ponovo ujedinio DPS, DF i SNP, Dan, 15 October 2022Spajić: Čini mi se da DF odrađuje posao za DPS, Dan, 6 February 2023 Lawyers Andrej Milović and Vasilije Čarapić joined the movement in September 2022 and became members of its presidency.
The movement first contested the 2022 local elections, achieving notable results, particularly in Podgorica election, where it contributed to the defeat of the DPS administration that had governed the capital since the 1990s.Pokret ‘Evropa sad’: DPS izgubio izbore, imat ćemo vlast u Podgorici, Al Jazeera, 23 October 2023Evropa sad slavi: "Milatović je novi gradonačelnik, Dan, 23 October 2022DPS izgubio Podgoricu, „Evropa sad“ najveći dobitnik, RTV Cetinje, 24 October 2022 Jakov Milatović headed the party’s electoral list in Podgorica and participated in the formation of a new governing coalition in the city assembly.
The confirmation of the election results was delayed until March 2023 due to vacancies in the Constitutional Court of Montenegro and complaints submitted by several minor nationalist organisations alleging electoral irregularities.Desničarski pokreti i pojedinci, povezani sa DPS-om, blokiraju tranziciju vlasti u Podgorici, press.co.me, 24 November 2022Nakon deblokade Ustavnog suda, konačni rezultati u Podgorici mogući do kraja nedjelje, Dan, 28 February 2023 In addition to its results in Podgorica, the movement won the mayoral offices in Danilovgrad and Žabljak and joined governing coalitions in seven of the eleven municipalities in which it participated. Subsequent opinion polls indicated increased public support for the movement.CEDEM: Evropa sad za petama DPS-u, Vijesti, 22 December 2023Montenegro: the centrist pro-European "Evropa Sad!" reaches a record high of 17.4% in the latest CeDem poll, Europe Elects, March 2023
In January 2023, Milojko Spajić announced his candidacy for the 2023 presidential election.Spajić predsjednički kandidat Pokreta Evropa sad, Vijesti, 29 January 2023 He was subsequently disqualified by the State Election Commission over allegations that he held Serbian citizenship in addition to Montenegrin citizenship, which would have made him constitutionally ineligible to run for president.Politička odluka DIK-a, proceduru osporio i predsjednik institucije, 18 February 2023Spajić: Ozvaničena saradnja lidera jedinstvenog DPS-a, MINA, 18 February 2023 Following his disqualification, the movement nominated Jakov Milatović as its presidential candidate.Jakov Milatović predao predsjedničku kandidaturu , RTCG, 26 February 2023 In the first round of the presidential election, Milatović won 29% of the vote, advancing to the runoff against incumbent president Milo Đukanović.Po preliminarnim rezultatima Đukanović i Milatović u drugom krugu, RTCG, 19 March 2023Đukanović i Milatović idu u drugi krug, Vijesti, 19 March 2023 In the second round, held on 2 April 2023, Milatović defeated Đukanović with approximately 60% of the vote.Jakov Milatović ubjedljivo pobijedio: Dobio 60,1 odsto glasova, Đukanović 39,9 %, RTCG, 2 April 2023
At the 2023 parliamentary election, the movement, led by Spajić, emerged as the largest political party in Montenegro, winning 24 seats in the Parliament of Montenegro.
In February 2024, Jakov Milatović left the party following internal disagreements.
In November 2025, PES! joined the Centrist Democrat International.
Election results Presidential elections Election Candidate 1st round 2nd round Result Votes % Votes % 2023 Jakov Milatović 97,858 28.92% 221,592 58.88%
Parliamentary elections ElectionParty leaderPerformanceAllianceRankGovernmentVotes%Seats+/–2023Milojko Spajić77,20325.53%New PES–UCG–Civis 1st
Positions held President of MontenegroYearsJakov Milatović2023–presentPrime Minister of MontenegroYearsMilojko Spajić2023–presentMayor of PodgoricaYearsOlivera Injac2023–2024Saša Mujović2024–present
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