Background and political system
With a population just over 600,000 people, Montenegro is located in Europe along the Adriatic Sea, bordering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, and Serbia. Montenegro’s first multiparty elections were held in 1990, and the country declared independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
The Constitution of Montenegro, adopted in 2007 and subsequently amended in 2013, provides the framework for the country's political institutions and governance. Montenegro is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, divided into 25 municipalities, and governs via central and local government structures.
Montenegro’s government consists of the Executive and Legislative branches, complemented by the Judicial branch. The central government is led by the President of Montenegro, who is directly elected for a five-year term, and acts as Head of State. The Prime Minister is Head of the Government and is nominated by the President based on general elections results. The executive branch’s Cabinet of Ministers consists of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and ministers. The Parliament of Montenegro, or Skupstina, is formed by 81 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote and serves in a unicameral legislature. The judicial branch hosts the Montenegro Supreme Court or Vrhovi Sud, consisting of a President, and Deputy President and 15 judges, and the Constitutional Court, or Ustavni Sud, consisting of a President and seven judges, in addition to subordinate courts.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
Women’s right to vote and stand for election was first ensured in the country in 1946 in the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, while the first woman in Parliament was elected in 1946 as a member of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro's Constitutional Assembly.
As regards gender equality and women's rights, considerable strides have been made in recent years. According to UN Women, 91.7 percent of the legal frameworks that promote, enforce, and monitor gender equality under SDG 5, gender equality, with a focus on violence against women, are in place. However, although the legislative framework is in line with international requirements, the institutional capacity for full implementation is a significant challenge. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, Montenegro ranks 67th out of 146 countries, a slight improvement from its 2023 ranking of 69th and a decline from its 2022 ranking of 54th.
Patriarchal and customary norms still have a relevant impact on Montenegro’s society, especially when it comes to inheritance and property and land ownership, and place the majority of the care burden on women, presenting challenges to sharing domestic work equally and to pursuing meaningful, equally compensated employment outside the home. Women’s representation in decision-making bodies, their share in entrepreneurship and managerial positions remain low.
Structure of parliament
The Parliament is composed of 81 members elected to four-year terms, through a proportional representation system. The Parliament is responsible for enforcing legislative initiatives, approving the Cabinet, supervising the work of the Government.
The electoral code, as amended through 2014, establishes that at least 30 percent candidates on the candidate list shall be of the less represented sex.
Women's representation in parliament
As of July 2024, the Parliament of Montenegro has 23 women members, representing 28.4 percent of total members. The next elections will be held in 2027.
Forecast based on past trends
If changes continue at the current pace, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of improvement from 1995 to 2023 and projecting it into the future.
Forecast based on recent trends
If changes registered in the past five years continue, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the average rate of change in the past five years and projecting it into the future.
Best case forecast
If the situation improves similarly to the country performing best in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the rate of improvement from the country performing best in the region and accelerating the change with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Worst case forecast
If the situation deteriorates similarly to the country registering the worst drop in the region, this is how women's representation in parliament will look like by 2030.
We calculated this forecast by taking the drop rate in the country performing worst in the region and deteriorating the situation with this amount over five years and then keeping it constant.
Women Chairpersons of Parliament Committees
The Montenegro parliament has 14 specialized Committees on the topics of Administration; the Constitution; Legislation; Political System, Judiciary, and Administration; Security and Defense; International Relations and Emigrants; European Integration; Economy, Finance and Budget; Human Rights and Freedoms; Gender Equality; Education, Science, Culture and Sports; Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning; Health, Labour and Social Welfare; and Anti-Corruption, in addition to a Commission for Monitoring and Control of the Privatization Procedure and the Women’s MP Group.
As of July 2024, women are the chairpersons of the Administrative Committee (Jelena Nedovic) and the Gender Equality Committee (Jelenka Andric).
Structure of government
Central government
The President represents the Republic, promulgates laws, calls elections for the Skupstina, grants amnesty for criminal offences, and confers decoration and other awards. The Prime Minister directs the work of the Government and submits the Government's Programme to the Parliament.
Within the executive branch, the Council of Ministers, led by the Prime Minister, consists of the Cabinet of Montenegro and is responsible for carrying out foreign and domestic policies, and overseeing the activities of ministries and other national bodies. As of July 2024, six ministries are led by women: the Ministry of European Affairs (Maida Gorcevic), the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Education (Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic), the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (Naida Nisic) the Ministry of Culture and Media (Tamara Vujovic), the Ministry of Transport (Maja Vukicevic), and the Ministry of Tourism (Simonida Kordic).
The current Prime Minister of Montenegro is Milojko Spajic, who has been in power since 2023, while the current President is Jakov Milatovic, who was elected in 2023. Montenegro has not yet had a woman serve as Prime Minister or President.
Ministers or Cabinet Members
Maida Gorcevic
Minister of European Affairs
Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic
Minister of Innovation, Science and Education
Naida Nisic
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare
Tamara Vujovic
Minister of Culture and Media
Maja Vukicevic
Minister of Transport
Simonida Kordic
Minister of Tourism
Local government
At the local level, the government is organized into one tier composed of the Capital City of Podgorica, the Old Royal Capital Cetinje and 23 municipalities. The municipal assembly is composed of at least 30 elected members, plus one additional member for every 5000 voters in the municipality. The president of the assembly is elected by and from the assembly to preside over it. The gender quota also extends to local government representation, with at least 30 percent gender representation requirement of candidates on the candidate list. Local executive bodies consist of the Mayor (of the Capital City of Podgorica and Old Royal Capital Cetinje) or President of the municipality, assisted by deputies, elected by and from the assembly.
For more information on gender quotas adopted at the national level, visit the women in parliament section.
Structure of public administration
The central government’s roles and responsibilities include managing the internal policy of Montenegro; managing and executing the foreign policy; enforcing the laws and other regulations; contracting international agreements; proposing the Development plan and Spatial plan of Montenegro; proposing the Budget and the Final Statement of the Budget; and proposing the National Security Strategy and Defense Strategy.
Local government bodies are largely responsible for Montenegro’s public administration when it comes to regulating and managing certain public affairs. Within each local jurisdiction, local government is in charge of adopting the strategic plan for the development of the municipality, the budget and final budget account, plans and programmes for urban projects, and other acts in accordance with its competencies.
Women’s representation as employees and decision-makers in public administration
This visualization was developed based on data provided by GIRL@University of Pittsburgh.
Data across countries and territories is not comparable. For more information about the methodology and sources used, read here.
Women’s representation in public administration in Montenegro has been marked by many changes. At the employee level, women’s presence has oscillated, ranging from 39.6 percent in 2011 to 43.5 percent in 2022, with a temporary decrease to 37.8 percent in 2013. Meanwhile, women’s representation at the decision-making level has seen even more dramatic shifts, ranging from 35.1 percent in 2017 to a high of 54.9 percent in 2021, standing at 46.4 percent in 2023. These oscillations highlight an inconsistent path for women entering and progressing in the public administration field in Montenegro.