Mayor of Podgorica since 2023
Olivera Injac (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Оливера Ињац; born 1976) is a Montenegrin university professor of security and politician serving as the mayor of Podgorica since 13 April 2023. She served as the minister of defence in the Government of Montenegro and the cabinet of Zdravko Krivokapić from 4 December 2020 to 28 April 2022.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
Injac was born in 1976 in Titograd, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia. Injac graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Nikšić in 1999, and completed her postgraduate studies in 2005 at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Podgorica. She defended her master's degree at the Podgorica Faculty of Political Sciences, and received her doctorate on the topic "Cultural aspect of international security", in January 2011.[4]
Career
She was employed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro from 2000 until 2007, as part of the Public Security Services and the Department of Analytics, as an independent advisor and analyst. At the University of Donja Gorica in Podgorica, she has been employed since 2008, as a professor of security. She is the only professor of security in Montenegro.[5][6]
Political career
On 27 November 2020, the Prime Minister–designate of Montenegro, Zdravko Krivokapić, appointed her a candidate for the Minister of Defence in the new Government cabinet of Montenegro.[7] She served until 28 April 2022 when the new government was formed.[8]
In August 2022, she joined the newly-founded Europe Now (PES) led by former ministers Milojko Spajić and Jakov Milatović[9] and became its vice president.[10] She received the second position[11] on PES's electoral list for the 2022 local elections in Podgorica and was elected to the City Assembly. On 7 April 2023, PES presidency nominated Injac for the next mayor of Podgorica.[12] She was sworn in as mayor on 13 April 2023, succeeding Ivan Vuković.[13][14] She is the first female mayor of Podgorica.[15]
