Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro

The Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro ( montenegr.: Demokratska Partija Socijalista Crne Gore, DPS ) is a social democratic party in Montenegro.

The DPS was formed in 1990 as the successor organization to the Montenegrin part of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Since she took over the organizational structure, they had an advantage in the first free elections in 1990, where she won 58.3 % of the vote and 83 of the 125 parliamentary seats. At the head of the party were at this time Milo Djukanovic, Momir Bulatović and Svetozar Marović. Bulatović 1990 was the first president of the constituent States, 1991 Prime Minister Djukanovic. In 1992, she lost easily, but could defend an absolute majority. The Democratic Party of Socialists campaigned for the union with Serbia ( FRY ). Also in 1996, she won an absolute majority again.

In the following years there was a wing fight for the relationship with Serbia. On the one hand President Bulatović, who supported the Milošević regime, on the other Prime Minister Djukanovic, who distanced himself from him. Djukanovic sat by and Bulatović left with his followers the Party and founded the Socialist People's Party. In the presidential elections in 1997, the two former party members competed against each other with Djukanovic prevailed scarce. After taking office in 1998, the non-party Filip Vujanović became the new head of government. In the same year the DPS came together with the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) in the parliamentary elections. Together, they were 49.5 % and 35 of the 78 seats, 30 of which went to the DPS.

Subsequently, the Democratic Party of Socialists wall more and more as aspirations for complete independence. The government introduced this example, a German mark. Milo Djukanovic won through his rejection of Milošević international sympathy. But even after his fall 2000, the DPS grabbed her quest for independence. The parliamentary elections in 2001 ended in stalemate, neither the pro- European or pro- Serbian block could form a government. The elections were repeated in 2002, from this DPS and SDP could proceed strengthened again. Subsequently, an office exchange took place: Milo Djukanovic was again Prime Minister, Filip Vujanović President. 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was transformed into the loose state union of Serbia and Montenegro, whose head of state of DPS Svetozar Marović politician was.

After the referendum on the independence of Montenegro, who won the government camp almost, was the Declaration of Independence and soon international recognition. The voters rewarded the government then with slight gains to 47.7 % for the Coalition for a European Montenegro. Since then, the DPS holds 34 of 81 seats in the Skupština.

The Democratic Party of Socialists is an associate member of the Socialist International.