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Montenegro

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(formerly part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)

Last reviewed: 26 January 2009

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POLITICS

Recent Political Developments

Since the birth of the State Union in 2002, the 'independence' issue has dominated politics in Montenegro. The 2003 Constitutional Charter provided for either republic to hold a referendum on independence after 3 years. The Montenegrin government and opposition decided to hold a referendum on 21 May 2006.

In December 2005, EU High Representative Javier Solana appointed Miroslav Lajcak, former Slovak Ambassador in Belgrade, as his personal envoy for the Montenegro referendum. Lajcak's role was to facilitate dialogue between the pro-independence bloc (led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his government) and the pro-union bloc (led by opposition leader Predrag Bulatovic) and help them to agree terms for the referendum. Lajcak successfully brokered a deal with both sides, agreeing that for Montenegro to become independent at least 50% of the electorate must take part, with 55% voting in favour of independence. This was then enshrined in a special referendum law adopted by the Montenegrin Parliament in March 2006.

For the outcome to be accepted both internationally and within Montenegro it was imperative that the referendum and the preceding campaign was constitutional, democratic, free, fair, peaceful and in line with international standards. The referendum was monitored by thousands of international and domestic election observers, made up of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), European Union Monitoring Mission, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Montenegrin NGOs including CEMI and CDT. Given the size of the electorate it was one of the most intensely scrutinised votes in European history.

Turnout on referendum day was 86.5% of registered voters and 55.5% voted for independence from the State Union, just above the 55% threshold. ODIHR assessed that the referendum was conducted according to OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international standards for democratic election processes and was marked by an active and generally peaceful campaign. On 3 June 2006, the Montenegro Assembly passed a declaration on independence. This was followed on 5 June by a Serbian National Assembly resolution declaring Serbia to be successor to the State Union.

The first Parliamentary Assembly elections in an independent Montenegro were held on 10 September 2006. The DPS-SDP Coalition for a European Montenegro led by Prime Minister Djukanovic won, securing a majority of 41 of the 81 parliamentary seats – enough to form a government. The Serb List (a coalition of SNS, SSR, NSS and DSJ) led by Andrija Mandic made considerable gains, winning 12 seats to become the official opposition, while the former opposition SNP-NS-DSS coalition led by Predrag Bulatovic dropped to 11 seats, having formerly held 26. The new party (and former NGO) Movement for Changes, led by Nebojsa Medojevic, also won 11 seats. The remaining five seats are shared between the LP and minority parties.

The ODIHR's international observation mission assessed that the elections were conducted largely in line with international standards, but highlighted some remaining challenges which must be addressed to ensure a democratic and transparent election process.

On 3 October 2006 President Vujanovic announced the resignation of Prime Minister Djukanovic and nominated the Minister for Justice, Zeljko Sturanovic, as the next Prime Minister. On 10 November 2006, the Montenegrin Parliament ratified this decision and Prime Minister Sturanovic announced his new cabinet, in which Milan Rocen replaced Miodrag Vlahovic as Foreign Minister.

A new constitution was adopted by Parliament on 19 October having achieved the required two-thirds majority to avoid a referendum. Of the 81 seats, it was supported by 55 MPs, while 21 voted against and the remainder abstained. A law on the implementation of the constitution was also adopted. It was proclaimed as the Constitution of Montenegro on 22 October 2007 replacing the Constitution of 1992. The new Constitution defines Montenegro as 'a civic, democratic and environmentally friendly country with social justice, established by the sovereign rights of its government'. Montenegrin is the official language, however Serbian, Albanian and Bosnian and Croatian are also recognised. The Constitution identifies that the nationalities and national minorities of Montenegro are Montenegrins, Serbs, Bosniaks, Albanians, Muslims, Croats and others as citizens of Montenegro free, equal and loyal to a civic and democratic Montenegro. It guarantees that religion should be separate from the state.  Some pro-union parties, particularly the Serb list, do not support this version of the constitution, and have vowed not to observe articles relating to ethnic identity issues.

On 31 January 2008 Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic resigned on health grounds and President Vujanovic nominated Milo Djukanovic (DPS) as his replacement. His appointment as Prime Minister was approved by Parliament on 29 February 2008 with no changes to the cabinet. He has already led Montenegro as Prime Minister or President for 15 years until he stepped down in October 2006.  Since stepping down he has remained Chairman of the DPS and has therefore remained a strong influence in Montenegrin and regional politics.

Montenegro held its first Presidential elections since gaining independence on 6 April 2008. The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) candidate, Filip Vujanovic, was successfully re-elected with 51.89% of the valid votes cast, winning the election in the first round. Serb List candidate Andrija Mandic won 19.55%, Nebojisa Medojevic from the Movement for Change (PzP) won 16.64% and Srdan Milic from the Socialist People’s Party (SNP) 11.92%. Turnout on the day was 68.2% of registered voters. Following the election OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe election observers issued a broadly positive statement, reporting that nearly all aspects of Montenegro’s first post-independence presidential poll were in line with international standards for democratic elections. The observers found some issues needing attention, including the continued blurring of state and party structures, however no official complaints were lodged on the day on any issue.

Organised Crime

Like many countries in the Balkans region, Montenegro faces problems with organised crime and corruption. In the 1990s, criminals in war-torn parts of the Former Yugoslavia exploited the vacuum created by the conflicts and the isolation due to international sanctions, to establish lucrative networks, which reached into government and retarded social and economic development. Since then the government has taken steps to fight organised crime and corruption but both phenomena continue to pose important challenges to the rule of law and sound and accountable institutions. Decision-makers at the highest level have highlighted the need to tackle organised crime and corruption. A National Commission was established in February 2007 to monitor implementation of the Action Plan for the government's strategy for the fight against corruption and organised crime. This commission is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and includes government officials and representatives of civil society.

The UK supports the countries of the region in the fight against organised crime and corruption and has funded various initiatives in Montenegro. These have included: a project which is being implemented by a local NGO to monitor the implementation and provide recommendations for improvement of the Action Plan for the fight against corruption and organised crime, through raising public awareness, supporting public participation, increasing transparency and conducting independent monitoring of the Action Plan; and capacity building in the administration and the judiciary (including the training of over 300 judges). It will be important that the Montenegrin authorities continue their efforts to tackle organised crime and corruption as they move towards the EU.

Defence

Minister of Defence: MS Boro Vucinic
Acting Chief of the General Staff: Admiral Dragan Samardzic
Head of the Navy: Rear Admiral Samardzic

Defence was formerly dealt with at State Union level, so the Montenegrin Government is now in the process of forming its own Ministry of Defence. A Defence Law is being drafted, which will provide a legal basis for the creation and authority of a Ministry of Defence. The Montenegrin Armed Forces will be army based but also include a Navy (with a primarily frigate and coastal protection maritime force) and an Air Force (with a rotary wing air capability).

The split of the Montenegrin Armed Forces from Serbia has been tackled maturely, with some personnel in Montenegro choosing to serve the Serbian Armed Forces and some in Serbia choosing to serve Montenegro as a Sovereign State. Initial reforms of the Armed Forces have already been delivered. These include reducing the number of personnel by half (from around 6000) and fully professionalising the Armed Forces by ending conscription and compulsory armed service. Such reforms are expected to continue.

Relations with the UK MOD

The UK MOD expects to continue its fruitful defence relationship with Montenegro as a sovereign state. The British bilateral programme of assistance has continued with a preliminary Clearing House Working Group meeting taking place in September 2006, where Britain and key Allies helped to identify and advise on Montenegrin defence needs. The Global Conflict Prevention Pool has continued to fund a comprehensive package of projects, such as English Language Training for Service Personnel, to improve their capacity to function effectively in Euro-Atlantic structures in the future. 

HUMAN RIGHTS

The human rights situation in Montenegro has greatly improved over the past five years. Typically for a country in political and economic transition, some problems still remain. The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro adopted a Charter for Human and Minority Rights in 2003 and ratified the majority of human rights-related international conventions. Following independence Montenegro has remained faithful to human rights commitments it made while part of the State Union and has ratified relevant international conventions and continues to ensure they are fully implemented. The new constitution affirms Montenegro's commitment to defend human rights and implement international human rights legislation.

Legislation on the protection of national minorities was adopted in May 2006, but further efforts from the authorities are needed to implement it. A draft law on asylum was adopted on 6 July 2006.

Establishing freedom of the media, an independent judiciary, police reform, better accountability mechanisms for treatment of detainees by prison and law enforcement agencies, and combating human trafficking are all areas to address. Montenegro also has a role to play in bringing to justice those who perpetrated war crimes in the region in the 1990s, by continuing to co-operate with the ICTY.

For more information, please see the FCO's Annual Report on Human Rights.

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