Select country profile:
Montenegro
Women in decision-making positions
33%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (278 elected women)
No woman is Head of State or Government
28%
Parliamentarians are women
19%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Montenegro is a unitary republic with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and one tier of local government composed of municipalities and the capital cities
Central government
  • Head of State: The President is directly elected by voters.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is proposed by the President to be elected by the Parliament.
  • Legislative body: The Parliament is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Government consists of the Prime Minister, the deputy prime minister(s), and ministers proposed by the Prime Minister to be elected by the Parliament.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into one tier composed of the Capital Cities of Podgorica and Cetinje and 23 municipalities.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for adopting the strategic plan for the development of the municipality, the budget and final budget account, the plans and programs for individual areas, urban projects, and other acts in accordance with its competencies.
  • Ministerial oversight: Ministry of Public Administration

Overview of local government

Local government composition
Capital City of Podgorica, Capital City of Cetinje, and municipality government

Deliberative body: The municipal assembly is composed of at least 30 elected members, plus one additional member for every 5,000 voters in the municipality. The president of the assembly is elected by and from the assembly to preside over it; the president of the assembly is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The mayor, assisted by the deputy mayor(s), is elected by and from the assembly. Deputy mayors are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the assembly.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for assemblies: proportional representation (closed list)

  • A closed party-list proportional electoral system is used for assembly elections. The election of councillors shall be conducted in a municipality as a single electoral district. Voters may vote only for one candidate list from the ballot paper. Candidate lists which received at least 3% of the total number of valid votes in the electoral district shall take part in the allocation of seats. The seats won by the candidate list shall be allocated to candidates following the order on the candidate list.

Electoral system for mayors: no direct elections

  • The mayor is elected by and from the assembly.

Source: Law on Election of Councillors and Representatives, 1998 (amended through 2020), articles 12, 93, 94 and 96

Quotas

Gender quotas: Legislated candidate quotas, ranking/placement, sanctions

  •  There shall be at least 30% of candidates on the candidate list from the underrepresented sex. Among each four candidates in the candidate list order (the first four places, the second four places and so on until the end of the list) there shall be at least one candidate who is a member of the underrepresented sex.
  • The list will be rejected by the election commission if it does not meet the above quota.

Additional quotas: No

Source: Law on Election of Councillors and Representatives, 1998 (amended through 2020), articles 39a

Term of elections
  • Term length: 4 years
  • Last local elections: 2022
  • Next local elections: 2023-2025
Electoral management body

State Election Commission Montenegro; municipal election commissions

National legal framework on local government
National legal framework
  • Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro, 2007 (amended through 2013);
  • Law on Local Self-Government, 2018 (amended through 2022);
  • Law on Territorial Organization, 2011 (amended through 2022);
  • Law on the Capital, 2005 (amended through 2022);
  • Law on Election of Councilors and Representatives, 1998 (amended through 2020).
Constitutional provisions on local government

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Montenegro. According to Articles 113, 114, 115, and 117 of the Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro of 2007 (amended through 2013), “in the local self-government the decisions shall be made directly and through the freely elected representatives. The right to local self-government shall include the right of citizens and local self-government bodies to regulate and manage certain public and other affairs, in their own responsibility and in the interest of the local population. The basic form of the local self-government shall be the municipality. The municipality shall have the status of a legal entity. Municipality shall adopt the Statute and General Acts. Authorities of the municipality shall be the Assembly and the President. The Municipality shall be autonomous in the performance of its duties.”

Legislative provisions on local government

The Parliament is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation that regulates local government is the Law on Local Self-Government of 2018 (amended through 2022). According to Article 3 of the Law on Local Self-Government, “local self-government is realized on the principles of democracy, equality, decentralization, depoliticization, autonomy, legality, professionalism, efficiency of work of local self-government bodies and mutual cooperation between the state and the municipality.”

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.