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Montenegro: Montenegro Government Profile 2012

2012/03/20

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Montenegro Government Profile 2012

In the parliamentary elections of 29 March 2009, the governing coalition – comprised of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and the smaller Social Democratic Party of Montenegro (SDP) – obtained an absolute majority by securing 51% of the vote and 48 out of 81 seats. The ethnic Serb party New Serb Democracy (NSD) and an electoral coalition led by the Socialist People’s Party of Montenegro (SNP), which had advocated the preservation of the state union with Serbia, won 9.1% and 16.5% of the votes, respectively, which corresponded to eight and 16 seats in parliament. While this result implied a loss for the NSD, the SNP – which had claimed to represent ethnic Serb interests during the referendum campaign – was strengthened. The newly established liberal-conservative Movement for Changes (PzP) won 5.9% of the vote, while parties of the ethnic Albanian, Bosniak and Croat minorities gained eight seats in parliament. The effective number of parties and the volatility of the party system have decreased since the previous elections, in 2006.
On first glance, the party system seems to reflect the economic, social and ethnic cleavages. However, within the party system, there is a notable dominance by the DPS, which has been in government for nearly two decades. In terms of democratic categories of alternate governments, this denotes a lack of democratic development.
 
Party system
There is large number of associations – including ones for professionals, businesses, workers, minority shareholders and members of certain minorities – that articulate and advocate for the interests of many groups in society. Their network is relatively close-knit but dominated by a few strong interests.
All workers, with the exception of those employed in the state administration, enjoy the right to bargain collectively. Given that workers in the state administration also have no right to strike, the role of trade unions in the public administration can be regarded as very limited. A significant development in the civil society sector in 2007 was a split in the trade union confederation, whose former unity had made Montenegro unique in the region.
 
Interest group
Consent to democracy as a form of government is moderately high, and political protests do not tend to call the constitutional framework into question. Citizens are conscious of the fact that they can use all mechanisms of democratic procedure to protect their rights and fight for their goals, and they use these mechanisms extensively, especially through different forms of nongovernmental associations and initiatives.
 
Consent to democratic norms
Montenegro has a robust but heterogeneous web of autonomous, self-organized groups, associations and organizations.
Government type: 

republic

Administrative divisions: 

21 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pljevlja, Pluzine, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak

Independence: 

3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday: 

National Day, 13 July (1878)

Constitution: 

approved 19 October 2007 (by the Assembly)

Legal system: 

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: 

unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve four-year terms; note - seats increased from 74 seats in 2006) elections: last held on 29 March 2009 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 51.94%, SNP 16.83%, NSD 9.22%, PZP 6.03%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 15.98%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 48, SNP 16, NSD 8, PZP 5, Albanian minority parties 4

Judicial branch: 

Constitutional Court (five judges serve nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)

Political parties and leaders : 

Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European Montenegro (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC], Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC], Bosniak Party of BS [Rafet HUSOVIC], and Croatian Civic Initiative or HGI [Marija VUCINOVIC); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC], People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC], and Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARDHIJ]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; For a Different Montenegro (bloc) [Goran BATRICEVIC] (includes Democratic Center or DC [Goran BATRICEVIC] and Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]); FORCA [Nazif CUNGU]; Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; National Coalition (includes People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC] and Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); New Serb Democracy or NOVA [Andrija MANDIC]; Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Srdjan MILIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders: 

International organization participation: 

CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Flag description: 

a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered

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