At Stake in this Election: 

• All 81 seats of the Montenegrin Assembly 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Jakov MILATOVIĆ (since 20 May 2023)  

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Dritan ABAZOVIĆ (since 28 April 2022)  

• Assembly: unicameral assembly (Skupština) with 81 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The President may serve up to two 5-year terms.  

• The Prime Minister is nominated by the president and confirmed by the assembly.  

• The Skupština is composed of 81 members who are directly elected by proportional representation vote in a single nationwide constituency. Members serve 4-year terms.  

• Candidate lists must receive at least 3% of the national vote to receive a seat, other than national minority lists which must receive at least 0.7%. 

Last Election: 

In 2020, The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) won the largest share of seats (30) but did not secure a majority. For the Future of Montenegro won 27 seats, Peace is Our Nation won 10 seats, and the remaining 14 seats were split among 6 other parties. Voter turnout was 76%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

Former president Milo Đukanović (DPS) called snap parliamentary elections in March 2023, shortly before he was defeated in the presidential election by Javok Milatović (Europe Now). The Montenegrin parliament has experienced several votes of no confidence since 2020, when the DPS lost its majority. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 16 May 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 31 May 2023 

• Montenegro uses a passive voter registration system. This date is the deadline for voters to request modifications to their registration status.  

Candidate Lists in this Election: 

• Europe Now! / Evropa Sad!  

• Leader: Milojko Spajić 

• For the Future of Montenegro / Za Budućnost Crne Gore  

• Coalition 

• Social Democratic Party / Socijaldemokratska partija (SDP) 

• Leader: Raško Konjević 

• List name: For Our House / Za našu kuću 

• Croatian Civic Initiative / Hrvatska građanska inicijativa (HGI)  

• Leader: Adrijan Vuksanović 

• List name: On the right side of the world! / Na pravoj strani svijeta! 

• Bravery Counts! / Hrabro se broji! 

• Coalition 

• Leaders: Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović 

• Together! For the future that belongs to you / Zajedno! Za budućnost koja ti pripada 

• Coalition 

• Leader: Danijel Živković 

• Bosniak Party / Bošnjačka stranka  

• Leader: Ervin Ibrahimović 

• List name: It’s Clear! / Jasno je! 

• Albanian Forum / Forumi shqiptar 

• Coalition 

• Leader: Nik Đeljošaj 

• List name: “BESA for European Development” / “BESA për Zhvillim Evropian” 

• SNP – DEMOS / SNP – DEMOS 

• Coalition 

• List name: For You / Za Tebe 

• Albanian Alliance / Aleanca Shqiptare 

• Coalition 

• People’s Coalition / Narodna Koalicija  

• Coalition 

• List name: Consonant and Period / „Složno i Tačka“ 

• Movement for Change / Pokret za promjene 

• Leader: Nebojša Medojević 

• List name: Montenegro First – Reforms to Save the Country / Prvo Crna Gora – Reforme za spas zemlje 

• “Justice for All” People’s Movement / Narodni pokret “Pravda za Sve” 

• Leader: Dr. Vladimir Leposavić 

• We Can (voter’s group) / Mi Možemo (grupa birača) 

• List name: Yes, we can make Montenegro civil / Da, mi možemo za građansku Crnu Goru 

• Reversal (citizens’ group) / Preokret (grupa građana) 

• Leader: Srđan Perić 

• List name: Reversal for a Safe Montenegro / Preokret za sigurnu Crnu Goru 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 604,966 (2022 est.)  

• Registered Voters: 542,154 (2023)  

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 307,089 (2022 est.)  

• CEDAW Status: Ratified (by succession) 23 Oct 2006  

• Gender Quota:  for legislative elections, 30% of candidates on each party list must be of the less represented gender (currently women), and at least one candidate of the less represented gender must appear in each group of four on the list  

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes  

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 23 out of 81 seats (28.4%) in the Skupština 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.832, Very high, Rank 49 (2021 est.)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A (2019 est.)  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 27 Sep 2007, Ratified 2 Nov 2009  

• Projected population with a disability: 67,151 (2022 est.)  

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Montenegro: Yes, programming  

• Election Snapshot: Yes 

• ElectionBase Link: Yes  

• Election Access: Yes  

• Election Judgements: Yes, 6 resources & 0 judgements