The current Constitution of Montenegro was ratified and adopted by the Constitutional Parliament of Montenegro on 19 October 2007. The Constitution was officially proclaimed as the Constitution of Montenegro on 22 October 2007. This Constitution replaced the Constitution of 1992.
Establishes the organization and the mode of operation of the government administration
Performs other duties as laid down in the Constitution
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Montenegro directs the work of the Government, and submits to the Parliament the Government's Program including a list of proposed ministers. The resignation of the Prime Minister will cause the fall of the Government.
The Parliament of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Скупштина Црне Горе, Skupština Crne Gore) is the legislature of Montenegro. The Parliament currently has 81 members, each elected for a four-year term. Montenegro has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.
The Assembly passes all laws in Montenegro, ratifies international treaties, appoints the Prime Minister, ministers, and justices of all courts, adopts the budget and performs other duties as established by the Constitution. The Parliament can pass a vote of no-confidence on the Government by a majority of the members. One deputy is elected per 6,000 voters, which in turn results in a reduction of total number of deputies in the Assembly of Montenegro.
M denotes the national minority lists, for which the 3% threshold does not apply.
Recent developments
In April 2018, Milo Djukanovic, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), won Montenegro’s presidential election. The veteran politician had served as Prime Minister six times and as President once before.[2]
In September 2020, President Milo Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) narrowly lost the parliamentary election after having led the country for 30 years. The opposition, “For the Future of Montenegro” (ZBCG) bloc, composed mainly of Serb national parties.[3] The new pro-serbian government was formed by Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic. However, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic's government was toppled in no-confidence vote after only 14 months in power.[4] In April 2022, a new minority government, comprising moderate parties that are both pro-European and pro-Serb, was formed. The new government was led by Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic.[5]
On 31 October 2023, Milojko Spajic of the Europe Now Movement became Montenegro's new prime minister, leading a coalition of both pro-European and pro-Serb parties.[7]
Judicial branch
Montenegro follows the principle of division of powers. Its judicial, legislative, and executive branches are independent of each other. The judiciary is autonomous and independent. The rulings of the courts must be in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of Montenegro. Appointment to a judiciary position is permanent.
With regard to the legal profession, it is important to note that Montenegro officially became a sovereign state in 2006. According to a 2015 source, the country has approximately 800 registered attorneys and the bar association has existed for over a century.[8] Although the Bar Association of Montenegro [Advokatska Komora Crne Gore] maintains records, there is no indication as to how demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.
A new official flag of Montenegro was adopted on July 12, 2004, by the Montenegrin legislature. The new flag is based on the personal standard of King Nikola I of Montenegro. This flag was all red with a gold border, a gold coat of arms, and the initials "НИ" in Cyrillic script (corresponding to NI in Latin script) representing King Nikola I. These initials are omitted from the modern flag. The national day of 13 July marks the date in 1878 when the Congress of Berlin recognised Montenegro as the 27th independent state in the world. It is also the date of the 13 July Uprising in 1941 against Fascist Italian occupiers.
In 2004, the Montenegrin legislature selected a popular Montenegrin folk song, "Oh the Bright Dawn of May", as the national anthem. Montenegro's official anthem during the reign of King Nikola was Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori (To our beautiful Montenegro).