Background: Dissolution of the SKCG and foundation of the DPS (1989–1996) The history of the DPS begins with the political turmoil in Yugoslavia in the late 1980s. After
Slobodan Milošević seized power in the
League of Communists of Serbia, he went on to organize rallies that eventually ousted the leaderships of the
League of Communists of Yugoslavia local branches in
Vojvodina,
Kosovo, and Montenegro. This series of events, collectively known as the
Anti-bureaucratic revolution, swept into power new party leadership in Montenegro, one allied with Milošević, personified in
Momir Bulatović,
Milo Đukanović, and
Svetozar Marović. Under this new leadership, the League of Communists of Montenegro won by a landslide in the
1990 Montenegrin general election, the first relatively free multi-party election in Socialist Montenegro, held in December 1990, taking 83 out of 125 seats in the
Parliament of Montenegro. The party had a significant
head start in the elections, as it had the entire established party structure at its disposal, while newly formed competition had to start from scratch. The party changed its name to the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (
Demokratska partija Crne Gore) on 22 June 1991. With Bulatović as the president, the DPS closely aligned Montenegro with Serbia and the policies of Slobodan Milošević. The party was firmly in power during the turbulent early 1990s, which saw the
breakup of Yugoslavia and the beginning of the
Yugoslav Wars. During these years, the party endorsed a union and close relations with Serbia, its sole partner in the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) from 1992. The party maintained the support of the electorate in this difficult period for Montenegro, winning both the
1992–1993 and
1996 parliamentary elections.
Split between Bulatović and Đukanović 1997–2000) On July 11, 1997, the party's national committee
Glavni odbor (GO) held a closed doors session after which the committee selected
Milica Pejanović-Đurišić to replace Bulatović as the party president. The party split had enormous implications, making a political confrontation between Đukanović and Bulatović inevitable. This manifested in the
1997 Montenegrin presidential election held in October, which Đukanović won by a thin margin. Bulatović went on to form the
Socialist People's Party of Montenegro (SNP) out of his defeated DPS faction, whose platform held a
unionist position on the question of Yugoslavia and its short-lived successor state, Serbia and Montenegro. Meanwhile, Đukanović became a fierce opponent of Slobodan Milošević politics. As a result of Đukanović's relationship with the United States, Montenegro received significant amounts of economic aid during this period, and negotiated limitations on
NATO bombings of its territory in 1999, whereas the rest of Yugoslavia was subject to significantly heavier attacks. The DPS government gradually severed ties with Serbia by taking control over customs and the economy, introducing first the
Deutsche mark, and subsequently the
euro as legal tender, and generally reducing the influence of the federal government in Montenegro.
Montenegrin independence (2000–2006) Following the
overthrow of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, the DPS showed signs of greater support for Montenegrin independence. The campaign for the
2002 parliamentary elections was devoted to the question of Montenegro's independence. The
European Union mediated negotiations between the DPS and the newly elected
democratic government in Serbia in 2003 imposed a three-year waiting period before an independence referendum could be held. The transitional period saw the transformation of the FR Yugoslavia to a loose union called
Serbia and Montenegro. During the existence of the union state, the party congress added the goal of a "democratic, internationally-recognized, independent Montenegro" to its official platform. The party then spearheaded the pro-independence campaign ahead of
Montenegro's referendum in 2006. With 55.5% of voters opting for independence, Montenegro became an independent state on 3 June 2006.
Đukanović era (2006–2022) At the
2006 Montenegrin parliamentary election as well as the subsequent
2009 and
2012 parliamentary elections, the DPS confirmed its position as the strongest political party in Montenegro. The party has formed the basis of all parliamentary majorities and has been the backbone of all government cabinets since independence, usually with its now traditional ally the
Social Democratic Party of Montenegro and ethnic minority parties. Former party vice-president
Filip Vujanović served as the
president of Montenegro for three terms from 2002 until 2018, having won presidential elections in
2003,
2008, and
2013, being succeeded by party leader
Milo Đukanović who became president in
2018. Đukanović was the party president and its undisputed authority, serving either as
Prime Minister or President of Montenegro from 1991 to 2006, 2008 to 2010 and 2012 to 2016. In 2006, the party leadership chose
Željko Šturanović, former Minister of Justice, to succeed Đukanović as Prime Minister, until his resignation on 31 January 2008 for health reasons, whereupon Đukanović replaced him, only to resign again in December 2010 while retaining his role as DPS party leader. After winning the
2012 parliamentary elections, Đukanović once again assumed the position of Prime Minister. In 2015, the centre-left Social Democratic Party left the coalition with the DPS, accusing ruling party of corruption and abuse of power. At the
2020 parliamentary election, DPS decided to run independently, with single candidate spot on the electoral list given to the nationalist
Liberal Party of Montenegro. The election eventually resulted in a victory for the opposition parties and the fall of the authoritarian DPS, after governing the country for 30 years, since the introduction of the multi-party system in 1990. After the party lost the local election in the town of
Pljevlja,
Serb symbols were spray-painted on the local Islamic community headquarters, apparently aiming to stir religious and national hatred.
Post-Đukanović era (2023–present) In 2023, the presidential elections resulted in Milatović defeating Đukanović in a landslide, becoming the first elected president not being a member of the DPS since introduction of the
multi-party system in 1990. It was the first time a runoff vote was held since the
1997 election, making it first presidential runoff since Montenegro
gained independence in 2006, also the first election since 1997 where an incumbent president actively seeking reelection was denied a second term.
Stefan Löfven,
President of the European Socialists, had endorsed Đukanović prior to the elections. In the aftermath, Đukanović resigned as President of DPS ending his 24 years tenure.
Danijel Živković was elected as his successor. The presidential election was followed by the
2023 Montenegrin parliamentary election, held on 11 June 2023.
Europe Now! (PES) won a plurality of seats while DPS came in second after losing seats and were once again placed in opposition. DPS won a plurality of seats in the elections to the
City Assembly of Podgorica held in 2024, with Živković saying it was “time to return the DPS to power”. In December 2024, several former ministers and high-ranking officials from the ranks of the DPS were arrested and charged with embezzlement and corruption. In the same month DPS started boycotting parliament, accusing PES of taking over the powers of the Constitutional Court and delaying the 2025 budget bill adoption, after the PES led constitutional committee decided to terminate the employment of Constitutional Court judge Dragana Djurovic. DPS ended its boycott following an EU-brokered agreement in March 2025. == Ideology ==