Montenegrin parliamentary election, 2009

Montenegrin parliamentary election

2006 ← March 29, 2009 → 2012

All 81 seats to the Skupština Crne Gore   Majority party Minority party   Leader Milo Đukanović Srđan Milić Party DPS/SDP SNP CG Last election 43 (41 DPS-SDP & 2 BS) 8 (11 in coalition) Seats won 48 16 Seat change +5 +8 Popular vote 168,290 54,545 Percentage 51.94% 16.83%

Map showing winning parties in each municipality.

PM before election Milo Đukanović DPS CG Elected PM Milo Đukanović DPS CG

Montenegro
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Montenegro
Constitution Constitution
Legislative Parliament Speaker Ranko Krivokapić
Judiciary Supreme Court Constitutional Court
Executive President (List) Filip Vujanović Prime Minister Milo Đukanović Government
Political parties Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Social Democratic Party (SDP) Movement for Changes (PzP) New Serb Democracy (NSD) Socialist People's Party (SNP) Democratic Union of Albanians (DUA) Democratic League in Montenegro (DSCG) FORCA Albanian Alternative (AA) Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) Bosniak Party (BS)
Elections President: 2008, 2013 Parliament: 2009, 2012 Municipal: 2008, 2010
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Pre-term parliamentary elections were held in Montenegro on 29 March 2009. In addition to elections for the unicameral Parliament of Montenegro, concurrent local elections were held in Nikšić and Budva, as well as municipal presidential elections in Herceg Novi and Tivat. The parliamentary elections were the eighth since the reintroduction of multi-party system in 1990, and the second since regaining full independence in 2006.

Background

President Filip Vujanović the parliamentary elections on 27 January 2009, after the Parliament of Montenegro decided the previous day to shorten its term, although this decision was controversial. The Constitutional Act that proclaimed the new constitution of 2007 stipulated that elections had to be held by the end of 2009.

Application of electoral lists occurred from 16 February to 4 March 2009, and election silence began on 27 March 2009. The number of MPs being elected was uncertain, because the matter was never solved before the election was scheduled. Based on a count of one MP per six thousand eligible voters, the number of MPs should have been 82. However, the Constitution stipulated 81, as there were in the present outgoing session, and this was the number of MPs actually elected.

The pre-electoral process had been marked by several major incidents, such as the revocation of citizenship of Predrag Popović, president of the People's Party, the violation of the human right to work during the formation of the coalition treaty of Prime Minister Milo Đukanović's ruling coalition, which would make party affiliation a criterion for employment, and repeated protests by discontented workers pushed into poverty. Additionally, representative groups of Montenegro's minority communities unanimously declared the forthcoming elections illegal and contrary to constitutional protections granted to ethnic communities.

Electoral system

Main article: Elections in Montenegro

Elections in Montenegro are free, with the right of secret ballot guaranteed. Because the country has a single national voting district, all votes cast at individual voting stations across the country went towards a single total. The electoral threshold was 3%, so electoral lists receiving under three percent of the total votes cast were crossed out, and the MPs within the assembly were split amongst the remaining lists. Seats were distributed by the D'Hondt method, which slightly favors leading lists above the smaller ones. The Parliament's mandate lasts four years.

Electoral lists

• Coalition for a European Montenegro: Milo Đukanović
  • Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro
  • Social Democratic Party of Montenegro
  • Croatian Civic Initiative
  • Bosniak Party
• New Serb Democracy: Andrija Mandić
• Socialist People's Party of Montenegro: Srđan Milić
• Movement for Changes: Nebojša Medojević
• National Coalition: Predrag Popović and Ranko Kadić
  • People's Party
  • Democratic Serb Party
• For a Different Montenegro: Goran Batričević
  • Democratic Centre
  • Liberal Party of Montenegro
• Serbian People's List: Momčilo Vuksanović
  • Party of Serb Populists
  • Party of Serb Radicals
• Montenegrin Communists
• Pensioners' Party
• Bosniaks and Muslims
• Party of Democratic Prosperity
• Serbian Homeland Party

Albanian minority parties

• Albanian List: Mehmed Bardhi and Gjergj Camaj
  • Democratic League in Montenegro
  • Albanian Alternative
• New Democratic Power – FORCA
• Democratic Union of Albanians
• Albanian Coalition – Perspective

Results

The Coalition for a European Montenegro won an absolute majority of seats, with approximately 65 percent voter turnout, securing Milo Đukanović a sixth term as Prime Minister.

 Summary of the 29 March 2009 Assembly of the Republic of Montenegro election results

List	Votes	%	Seats		+/–
			Main	Albanian
European Montenegro – Milo Đukanović (Европска Црна Гора – Мило Ђукановић)	168,290	51.94	47	1	+5
SNP – Socialist People's Party of Montenegro – Srđan Milić (СНП – Социјалистичка народна партија Црне Горе – Срђан Милић)	54,545	16.83	16	—	+8
New Serb Democracy – Andrija Mandić (Нова српска демократија – Андрија Мандић)	29,885	9.22	8	—	+8
Movement for Changes – We Can – Nebojša Medojević (Покрет за промјене – Можемо – Небојша Медојевић)	19,546	6.03	5	—	–6
People's Coalition – People's Party and Democratic Serb Party (Народњачка коалиција – Народна странка и Демократска српска странка)	9,448	2.92	0	—	–3
Coalition of the Liberal Party and the Democratic Centre – "For a Different Montenegro" – Dr Goran Batrićević (Коалиција Либералне партије и Демократског центра – „За другачију Црну Гору“ – др Горан Батрићевић)	8,777	2.71	0	—	–1
Party of Pensioners and Disabled People of Montenegro (Странка пензионера и инвалида Црне Горе)	7,691	2.37	—	—	—
UDSH – DUA Ferhat Dinosha (UDSH – ДУА Ферхат Диноша)	4,747	1.46	—	1	±0
Serb National List (Српска национална листа)	4,291	1.32	0	—	–2
"Bosniacs and Muslims Together, as One" („Бошњаци и Муслимани заједно, једно“)	3,489	1.08	—	—	—
FORCA – Nazif Cungu (ФОРЦА – Назиф Цунгу)	2,939	1.91	—	1	+1
Albanian List: Democratic League in Montenegro – Mehmet Bardhi & Albanian Alternative – Gjergj Camaj (Албанска листа – Lista Shqiptare: Демократски савез у Црној Гори – Lidhja Demokratike në Mal të Zi – Мехмет Бардли & Албанска алтернатива – Alternativa Shqiptare – Ђерђ Чамај)	2,898	0.89	—	1	–1
"Albanian Coalition – Perspective" („Албанска коалиција – Перспектива“ "Koalicioni Shqiptar – Perspektiva")	2,619	0.81	—	1	+1
Fatherland Serbian Party – Docent Dr Aleksandar Stamatović – "For the True Serbs" (Отаџбинска српска странка – Доцент др Александар Стаматовић – „За истинске Србе“)	2,446	0.75	—	—	—
Montenegrin Communists (Црногорски комунисти)	1,594	0.49	—	—	—
Party of Democratic Prosperity (Партија демократског просперитета – Partia e Prosperitetit Demokratik)	805	0.25	—	—	—
Valid votes	323,990	100	76	5
Total (turnout 66.19%; –5.18%)	329,818

See also

• Government of Montenegro

Further reading

• Analysis by the International Institute for Middle East and Balkan studies
• Analysis by the French Robert Schuman Foundation

External links

• The Electoral Commission
• Check of the Electoral List
• The Center for Monitoring CEMI
• The Center for Democratic Transition