Legal System of Montenegro

Montenegro is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in southeastern europe, between the adriatic sea and serbia. The country achieved independence on 3 june 2006 (from the state union of serbia and montenegro); notable earlier dates: 13 march 1852 (principality of montenegro established); 13 july 1878 (congress of berlin recognizes montenegrin independence); 28 august 1910 (kingdom of montenegro established). The capital is Podgorica.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Jakov MILATOVIC (since 20 May 2023) Head of Government: Prime Minister Milojko SPAJIC (since 31 October 2023) Cabinet: ministers serve as the cabinet Administrative Divisions: 25 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Gusinje, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Petnjica, Plav, Pljevlja, Pluzine, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Tuzi, Ulcinj, Zabljak, Zeta National Holiday: Statehood Day, 13 July (1878, 1941) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Montenegro is described as civil law International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted 22 October 2007 Amendment Process: proposed by the president of Montenegro, by the government, or by at least 25 members of the Assembly; passage of draft proposals requires two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, followed by a public hearing; passage of draft amendments requires two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; changes to certain constitutional articles, such as sovereignty, state symbols, citizenship, and constitutional change procedures, require three-fifths majority vote in a referendum

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Vrhovni Sud (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 15 judges); Constitutional Court or Ustavni Sud (consists of the court president and 7 judges) Judge Selection: Supreme Court president proposed by general session of the Supreme Court and elected by the Judicial Council, a 9-member body consisting of judges, lawyers designated by the Assembly, and the minister of judicial affairs; Supreme Court president elected for a single renewable, 5-year term; other judges elected by the Judicial Council for life; Constitutional Court judges - 2 proposed by the president of Montenegro and 5 by the Assembly, and elected by the Assembly; court president elected from among the court members; court president elected for a 3-year term, other judges serve 9-year terms Subordinate Courts: Administrative Courts; Appellate Court; Commercial Courts; High Courts; basic courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Montenegro Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The use of the name Crna Gora or Black Mountain (Montenegro) began in the 13th century in reference to a highland region in the Serbian province of Zeta. Under Ottoman control beginning in 1496, Montenegro was a semi-autonomous theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes until 1852, when it became a secular principality. Montenegro fought a series of wars with the Ottomans and eventually won recognition as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Montenegro based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.