Who runs local government in Montenegro?
Montenegro has a single tier of municipalities (opštine): 24 according to the OECD in 2021, and 25 after Zeta was separated from the capital Podgorica in 2022. Each has a directly elected assembly, which elects the mayor. Local elections are not held on one national day, so municipalities vote at different times.
Montenegro · Unitary republic · South-eastern Europe
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Statistical regions (3: Coastal, Central, Northern) | None | Planning and statistics only. |
| Municipalities – opštine (about 25), incl. Capital City Podgorica and Old Royal Capital Cetinje | Assembly directly elected for four years (30 councillors plus one per 5,000 voters); assembly elects the mayor (predsjednik opštine / gradonačelnik) | Local services, planning, utilities, local roads, culture. |
| Local communities – mjesne zajednice | Councils chosen by residents under municipal rules | Citizens' say on local matters in villages and urban neighbourhoods. |
Three questions about local power in Montenegro
Are local leaders elected?
Municipal assemblies are directly elected; mayors are elected by assemblies (they were directly elected between 2006 and 2011).
Which laws set up local government?
The Constitution (Articles 113–117) and the Law on Local Self-Government, plus special laws for Podgorica and Cetinje. Clan identity and religious influence are informal.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Assemblies can remove mayors; the government can dissolve an assembly that stops working; the Constitutional Court reviews local regulations; the State Audit Institution audits.
Traditional and customary authority
No customary authority has legal status. Traditional clan (pleme) identity remains culturally important in some northern and highland areas, and the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community and the Catholic Church are socially influential, but none has formal local power.
Community and neighbourhood power
About 1,310 settlements are grouped into local communities (mjesne zajednice), where residents take part in decisions on local matters; the municipality decides their tasks and funding. Inter-municipal co-operation is allowed by law.
Points to know
- Tuzi became its own municipality in 2018 and Zeta in 2022, both carved out of Podgorica.
- Podgorica holds about 30% of the population.
- Because elections are staggered, local politics can be in campaign mode somewhere in the country most years.
Local terms
- Opština
- Municipality.
- Mjesna zajednica
- Local community of a village or neighbourhood.
Sources
- Constitution of Montenegro (2007, rev. 2013), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Montenegro: country profile (territorial organisation, responsibilities, finance), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- State Election Commission of Montenegro, Državna izborna komisija, checked 14 October 2026
- Ministry of Public Administration, Government of Montenegro, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Montenegro's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.