Montenegro has a parliamentary democratic republic system of government. The Prime Minister is the head of government and leads a multi-party coalition. Executive power lies with the government while legislative power is shared between the government and the Parliament. The judiciary is independent. Key figures include President Filip Vujanović and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who leads the governing Democratic Party of Socialists. The country has a multi-party system without any single dominant party, requiring coalition governments. The Parliament passes laws and approves treaties and budgets. The legal system is based on separation of powers. Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in 2006.

1. Politics of Montenegro
Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2. Background of Montenegro’s political
system
 The Politics of Montenegro function in a structure of a
parliamentary representative democratic republic, with the PM
of Montenegro heads the government and a multi-party
structure.
 The government exercises executive power; legislative power
is vested in both the government and the Parliament of
Montenegro.
 The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the
legislature.

3. Government of Montenegro
 Capital (and largest city):
Podgorica*
 Official languages: Montenegrin
 Demonym: Montenegrin
 Government: Parliamentary
republic
 President: Filip Vujanović
 Prime Minister: Milo Đukanović
 Crown Prince**: Nikola II Petrović-
Njegoš
 Legislature: Parliament
 *The Constitution names Cetinje
as the Old Royal Capital
(prijestonica) of Montenegro.
 **Honorary title.

4. Constitution
 On 19 October 2007, the current Constitution of
Montenegro was approved by the Constitutional Parliament
of Montenegro.
 On 22 October 2007, the Constitution was formally
proclaimed as the Constitution of Montenegro, in place of the
outdated 1992 Constitution.
 The new Constitution identifies Montenegro as a civic,
democratic and environmentally friendly nation with social
justice, established by the sovereign rights of its government.

5. Executive Branch
Main office holders Current government
 Office: President  The Republic of Montenegro’s current
government (Влада Републике Црне
 Name: Filip Vujanović Горе, Vlada Republike Crne Gore)
 Party: Democratic Party of consists of the PM, the Deputy PMs,
Socialists of Montenegro and the ministers.
 Milo Đukanović is Montenegro’s PM
 Since: 22 March 2003
and head of government.
 Office: Prime Minister  The governing entity in Montenegro is
 Name: Milo Đukanović the Coalition for a European
Montenegro, led by the Democratic
 Party: Democratic Party of Party of Socialists of Montenegro
Socialists of Montenegro (Демократска Партија
 Since: 4 December 2012 Социјалиста Црне Горе,
Demokratska Partija Socijalista
Crne Gore; DPS).

6. 2012 Election
 With virtually all votes counted after the 14 October 2012 election, the
alliance of Milo Đukanović’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and
two small parties looked at winning 39 seats in the 81-seat parliament.

7. President
 The President of Montenegro is elected to a term of five years by
direct and secret ballots.
 The President’s duties:
 Represents Montenegro both domestically and abroad
 Promulgates laws
 Calls parliamentary elections
 Recommends a PM nominee to Parliament, as well as nominees for the
president and justices of the Constitutional Court
 Suggests holding a referendum
 Issues pardons
 Presents honors and decorations

8. Government
 The Government of Montenegro is nominated through majority vote
of Parliament.
 The Government:
 Plans and carries out foreign policy
 Assumes decrees and other laws
 Puts laws into effect
 Reaches global treaties
 Sets up the organization and the method of functioning of the
government administration
 Conducts other responsibilities as specified in the Constitution

9. Prime Minister
 Montenegro’s PM supervises the Government’s work, presenting to
the Parliament the Government’s Program, with a list of
recommended ministers.
 In the event of the PM’s resignation, the Government will fall apart.

10. Legislative Branch
 The Parliament of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Скупштина Црне Горе,
Skupština Crne Gore) is Montenegro’s legislature.
 Currently, the Parliament is made up of 81 members; each member is
elected to a term of four years.
 Montenegro has a structure of multiple parties, with many parties; often,
no single party has a likelihood of obtaining power by itself, and parties
must work alongside each other to create coalition governments.
 The Assembly passes all of Montenegro’s laws, approves global
treaties, names the PM, ministers, and justices of all courts, adopts the
budget, and conducts other tasks as created by the Constitution.
 The Parliament may pass a no-confidence vote on the Government
through a majority of the members.
 One deputy for every 6,000 voters is elected, which sequentially results
in a decrease of the total number of delegates in Montenegro’s
Assembly.

11. Parliamentary parties
 Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro
(Demokratska Partija Socijalista Crne
Gore; Демократска Партија Социјалиста Црне Горе,
DPS)
 Democratic Front (Demokratski Front;
Демократски фронт, PS)
 New Serb Democracy
 Movement for Changes
 Socialist People’s Party of Montenegro (Socijalistička
narodna partija Crne Gore;
Социјалистичка народна партија Црне Горе, SNP)
 Social Democratic Party of Montenegro
(Socijaldemokratska Partija Crne Gore;
Социјалдемократска партија Црне Горе, SDP)
 Positive Montenegro (Pozitivna Crna Gora;
Позитивна Црна Гора, PCG)
 Bosniak Party (Bošnjačka Stranka;
Бошњачка странка, BS)
 Liberal Party of Montenegro (Liberalna Partija Crne Gore;
Либерална Партија Црне Горе, LPCG)
 New Democratic Power – FORCA (Forca e Re
Demokratike;
Nova Demokratska Snaga – FORCA)
 Democratic Party (Partia Demokratike;
Demokratska partija, PD)
 Croatian Civic Initiative (Hrvatska građanska inicijativa,
HGI)

12. Judicial Branch
 Montenegro follows the standard of separation of powers; its
judicial, legislative, and executive branches are independent of each
other.
 Likewise, the judiciary is self-ruling and independent.
 The rulings of the courts must be in conformity with the Constitution
and Montenegro’s laws.
 Nomination to a judiciary post is permanent.

13. Subdivisions
 Montenegro is split into 21
municipalities.

14. Symbols
 On 12 July 2004, a new official flag of Montenegro was adopted by the
Montenegrin legislature.
 The new flag is modeled off the personal standard of King Nikola I of
Montenegro, a flag that was entirely red with a gold border, a gold coat of
arms, and the initials “НИ” in Cyrillic writing (matching with NI in the Latin
alphabet) representing King Nikola I; these initials are absent from the
current flag.
 The national day of 13 July marks the date in 1878 when the Congress of
Berlin recognised Montenegro as the world’s 27th free nation and the
beginning of the first popular rebellion in Europe against the Axis Powers,
which occurred in Montenegro on 13 July 1941.
 Also in 2004, Montenegro’s legislature chose a well-liked Montenegrin folk
song, “Oh the Bright Dawn of May” („Ој, свијетла мајска зоро” ; Oj, svijetla
majska zoro) , as the country’s national anthem.
 Under the rule of King Nikola, the official anthem of Montenegro was Ubavoj
nam Crnoj Gori (To our beautiful Montenegro); the music was written by the
King’s son Knjaz Mirko.

15. Filip Vujanović
 Born 1 September 1954 in Belgrade.
 President of Montenegro since 22 May 2003;
was acting President from 25 November 2002-
19 May 2003.
 Was also the PM of Montenegro from 5
February 1998-5 November 2002.
 Is Montenegro’s first President since it won
independence from Serbia and Montenegro in
June 2006.
 Won a landslide victory in the April 2008
presidential election; is serving his second
presidential term since 21 May 2008.
 Graduated from the University of Belgrade’s Law
School.
 Worked in one of the city’s Municipal Courts
from 1978-1981, and subsequently as an
assistant at the Belgrade District Court.
 Moved to Titograd (now Podgorica) in 1981 at
the age of 27.
 After a brief period as secretary at Titograd’s
District Court, he was a lawyer until he entered
political life in March 1993.

16. Milo Đukanović
 Born 15 February 1962 in Nikšić.
 PM of Montenegro since 4 December 2012.
 Was also PM between 1991-1998, President
between 1998-2002, and PM again between
2003-2006.
 Even though he resigned as PM in late 2006, he
reassumed the office in February 2008; resigned
again in December 2010 before he returned for
a third time two years later.
 Is also the long-time leader of the Democratic
Party of Socialists, the successor of the
Montenegrin branch of the Yugoslavian
Communist Party; it thus has ruled Montenegro
since the onset of multiparty politics.
 Was a close ally of Slobodan Milošević upon his
first emerge on the political scene, but in 1996,
he turned against Milošević; discarded the
customary joint Serbian-Montenegrin dream in
favour of an independent Montenegro.
 Supervised the transition of the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia into the State Union of Serbia and
Montenegro and Montenegro’s increasing
division from Serbia under his leadership, which
led to his victory at the May 2006 independence
referendum.

17. Democratic Party of Socialists of
Montenegro
 Governing social-democratic political party in Montenegro.
 Successor of the Montenegrin branch of the Yugoslav
Communist League.
 Was renamed to its current name in 1991; has ruled
Montenegro since 1991, despite becoming factionalized.
 Supported a union and warm relations with Serbia from
1991-1998, under Momir Bulatović, ousted as leader in
1998 and replaced by present leader and current PM Milo
Đukanović, promoting a distance of Montenegro from
Serbia, while Bulatović’s section founded the Socialist
People’s Party of Montenegro, which backed warm ties with
Serbia under Bulatović’s leadership until he was expelled
from that party, too.
 Won 39/81 seats (as the Coalition for a European
Montenegro), together with the Social Democratic Party of
Montenegro (SDP) at the most recent Montenegrin
legislative elections held on 10 September 2006, and the
right to name the Government.
 Won one seat at the rerun for Albanian minority delegates;
the Forca merged its seat into DPS, with a total result of 40
seats, the required parliamentary majority.
 The DPS itself acquired 32 seats, of which one was given to
the partner party Croatian Civic Initiative.
 Member of Socialist International (International affiliation)
and Party of European Socialists (European affiliation).

18. Social Democratic Party of
Montenegro
 Social democratic, left-wing political party in
Montenegro.
 Has a support of nearly 6% of the Montenegrin
electorate, but has nonetheless successfully
played a prominent role in the republic’s
political scene during the last decade; its
importance originates from its warm relations
with Montenegro’s biggest party – the DPS and
its leader Milo Đukanović.
 Allying itself with DPS and Đukanović before
the 1998 parliamentary elections permitted
SDP to enter parliament for the very first time in
its existence, what it could not do unassisted in
three prior attempts.
 Remained a part of every pre-election coalition
led by Đukanović (three additional elections
ever since) since the 1998 election; thus, SDP
has additionally been involved in every
Montenegrin government.
 Came out triumphant as part of a joint DPS-
SDP list that took 47 seats (out of a total of 81
seats), at the previous legislative elections held
in March 2009.
 Member of Socialist International (International
affiliation) and Party of European Socialists
(European affiliation).

19. Podgorica

20. The End