Coalition For A European Montenegro

Coalition For A European Montenegro

Coalition for European Montenegro (Montenegrin: Коалиција за Европску Црну Гору, Koalicija za Evropsku Crnu Goru) is the ruling political alliance in Montenegro headed by Milo Đukanović's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

Consisting of two additional parties (SDP and Liberals), "Coalition for European Montenegro" is the latest installment of the DPS-led political alliances that have ruled Montenegro since 1998. This current ruling alliance, much like its earlier predecessors did, derives its strength and is driven by the prestige and personal authority of Milo Đukanović.

Following the internal turmoil within the DPS during late 1996 and early 1997 when the party's most prominent members Milo Đukanović and Momir Bulatović bitterly fought behind the scenes for the control of the party, Đukanović emerged as the clear winner of the year-long power struggle. Under his leadership, DPS began entering pre-election alliances with smaller parties under the coalition banner that had a different name ahead of each parliamantary elections.

The dynamic within the coalition's various installments is always such that his party DPS is naturally entering it from an overwhelming position of strength while the other small party(ies) merely round out the ballot. Đukanović-led DPS party always had, and continues to have, more than enough media control, infrastructure strength, and subsequently voter support to do well at each parliamentary elections if it ever decided to enter them alone again, however they continue to form these pre-election coalitions, which many see as Đukanović's small attempt to dress up his party's now decades-long rule in the republic as having elements of pluralism, and also as his attempt to deflect any accusations of autocracy that get thrown at him from time to time.

The first version of the coalition was formed ahead of the 1998 parliamentary elections in Montenegro under the name So that we live better (Да живимо боље, Da živimo bolje). Before the 2001 elections the coalition was rebranded as Victory is Montenegro's (Побједа је Црнe Горe, Pobjeda je Crne Gore). Then, before the 2002 elections the coalition was known as (Democratic) List for European Montenegro (Листа за европску Црну Гору, Demokratska lista za evropsku Crnu Goru), and finally before the 2006 elections it became the Coalition for European Montenegro.

The party that has been DPS' and Đukanović's most continual ally is SDP CG, part of every single version of the coalition.