Mechanisms of Dominance: Understanding 30 Years in Power of Montenegro's Democratic Party of Socialists

Abstract

This article analyses the mechanisms that contributed to the 30-year predominance of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in Montenegro. The authors pay particular attention to the DPS' programmatic flexibility, use of co-optation, repression and control, as well as clientelism, examining their role in shaping state-society relations and party competition over time. In doing so, the article also seeks to explain the DPS' setback in the 2020 elections and the ongoing transition from a dominant party system towards a more competitive multiparty system.