Who Is Milo Đukanović

Milo Đukanović (born in Nikšić on 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician and economist, one of the most influential and most disputed figures in the country’s modern history. For more than three decades he held the highest state offices: he served as prime minister in several terms and as President of Montenegro from 1998 to 2002 and again from 2018 to 2023.

He entered politics as a young League of Communists official and, at 29, became the youngest prime minister in Europe. As leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), he headed the movement for the restoration of Montenegrin independence, confirmed in a 2006 referendum, and as prime minister he led the country into NATO in 2017.

At the same time, his long rule has remained the subject of sharp debate. Critics accused him of concentrating power and of ties to business circles, while supporters regarded him as a builder of the state and of Montenegro’s European path. This biography follows his life and career on the basis of verifiable sources.

Early Life and Childhood

Milo Đukanović was born on 15 February 1962 in Nikšić, then part of the People’s Republic of Montenegro within Yugoslavia. His parents are Radovan and Stana Đukanović, née Maksimović. According to Wikipedia, he was named after a paternal relative who fought alongside his grandfather Blažo in the First World War.

He has an older sister, Ana, who is a lawyer, and a younger brother, Aleksandar, known as Aco (born 1965), who is a businessman. The family came from the Nikšić area.

Most sources place his primary and secondary schooling in Nikšić. Some media outlets, however, report that the family moved to Titograd, today’s Podgorica, in the mid-1970s, so sources differ on this point. After secondary school he enrolled at university in Titograd.

Education

Đukanović studied at the Faculty of Economics of Veljko Vlahović University in Titograd, today’s University of Montenegro. He graduated in 1986, specializing in tourism.

He was involved in politics during his studies. According to Radio Free Europe, as a student he already led a youth organization, and right after graduating he became a professional youth official. As a result, his career was tied to politics from the very beginning rather than to the economy.

Early Career and the Anti-Bureaucratic Revolution

He became a member of the League of Communists in 1979. From 1986 to 1988 he was a member of the Presidency of the Republic Conference of the Socialist Youth League of Montenegro, then a member of the Presidency of the Socialist Youth League of Yugoslavia and a member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. According to the weekly Vreme, he was the youngest member of that body in its last convocation.

The turning point came in January 1989. During the so-called anti-bureaucratic revolution, mass protests removed the existing leadership of Montenegro. A group of young officials, labeled by the media “young, handsome and smart”, came to power: Đukanović, Momir Bulatović and Svetozar Marović, together with Milica Pejanović-Đurišić. At the time, all were regarded as close associates of Slobodan Milošević.

Radoje Kontić took over as head of the Executive Council in 1989, while Đukanović served from 1989 to 1991 as secretary of the Presidency of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Montenegro. At the first multiparty elections in late 1990, he was elected to the Assembly of Montenegro.

First Term as Prime Minister (1991–1998)

On 15 February 1991, his 29th birthday, Milo Đukanović was elected prime minister of Montenegro. He thereby became the youngest prime minister in Europe. On 22 June 1991, the party he led changed its name to the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro.

His first term coincided with the breakup of Yugoslavia. According to Radio Free Europe, Montenegrin units took part in the military operation against Dubrovnik in 1991. In a 1992 referendum, a majority of Montenegrin citizens voted for a common state with Serbia.

In the 1990s the country was hit by international sanctions and economic crisis. Critics later claimed that cigarette smuggling was an important source of state revenue in that period, which Đukanović has always denied in terms of personal involvement. More on this topic appears in the section on controversies.

Rift with Momir Bulatović and the Presidency (1998–2002)

In the mid-1990s a rift opened between Đukanović and Momir Bulatović. The trigger was their attitude toward Milošević, from whom Đukanović, with the backing of the international community, increasingly distanced himself. The dispute split the DPS into two wings.

In July 1997, Đukanović narrowly defeated Bulatović in the presidential election. Bulatović’s supporters then founded the Socialist People’s Party. Đukanović took office as President of Montenegro in January 1998 and held it until 2002 (some sources give 2003).

During the NATO intervention against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, Montenegro stayed neutral, which analysts often cite as one of his most significant political moves. The Coalition for a European Montenegro was formed the same year and became the vehicle of his policies. After the Belgrade Agreement, the state union of Serbia and Montenegro was created, headed from 2003 by Svetozar Marović. Đukanović returned to the post of prime minister in early 2003.

The Road to Montenegrin Independence

Đukanović, once an ally of Belgrade, increasingly advocated Montenegrin statehood. The referendum on state status was held on 21 May 2006 under European Union mediation, with EU envoy Miroslav Lajčák overseeing the process. An unusually high threshold of 55 percent in favor was set.

According to official results, about 86.5 percent of voters turned out and roughly 55.5 percent voted for independence, so the threshold was cleared by a narrow margin. It was the second referendum on state status, since the 1992 vote had produced the opposite result.

In the elections of 10 September 2006, the Coalition for a European Montenegro won an absolute majority. Đukanović then announced his withdrawal from politics, saying he wished to devote himself to business, and he left the post of prime minister on 10 November 2006.

Return as Prime Minister (2008–2016)

Đukanović returned to politics on 29 February 2008 as prime minister. Under his leadership, Montenegro recognized the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, which provoked sharp reactions in Serbia. In December 2010 he announced his withdrawal, and Igor Lukšić succeeded him.

He returned to the head of the government on 4 December 2012. In the same year Montenegro received candidate status for membership in the European Union. The final years of his term were marked by opposition protests in 2015 and 2016 and by the DPS’s break with its coalition partner, the SDP, in January 2016.

In the parliamentary elections of October 2016, the DPS remained the largest party, with about 41 percent of the vote and 36 seats. Đukanović left the post of prime minister on 28 November 2016 and was succeeded by Duško Marković.

NATO Accession and the European Path

Joining NATO was one of the key goals of his governments. The accession protocol was signed in Brussels on 19 May 2016, in the presence of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Assembly of Montenegro ratified membership on 28 April 2017 in Cetinje, and the country became a member of the Alliance in June 2017.

The step deeply divided Montenegrin society. Opposition parties close to Serbia and Russia opposed it, while Đukanović argued that only the citizens of Montenegro have the right to choose the country’s course. The European path continued after he left power, with membership negotiations still under way today.

The Alleged 2016 Coup Attempt

Montenegrin prosecutors claimed that a coup had been planned for election day, 16 October 2016, in which Prime Minister Đukanović would be removed and killed. According to the indictment, the aim of the plot was to prevent the country from joining NATO.

On 9 May 2019, the Higher Court in Podgorica convicted 13 people at first instance, including two Russian intelligence officers in absentia and two opposition leaders, Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević. The opposition insisted throughout that the plot was fabricated to help the DPS win the election.

The Court of Appeals overturned the verdict in February 2021 and ordered a retrial. The High Court then acquitted all 13 defendants in July 2023. The case therefore continues to be interpreted differently in domestic and international public opinion.

President of Montenegro (2018–2023)

Đukanović won the presidential election on 15 April 2018 and took office on 20 May 2018. During that time three governments succeeded one another, led by Duško Marković, Zdravko Krivokapić and Dritan Abazović. At the eighth DPS congress in 2019 he was unanimously re-elected party president, a post he had held since 1998.

A turning point came on 30 August 2020. In the parliamentary elections the opposition won more votes than the DPS and its partners for the first time in three decades, and the party moved into opposition. The government of Zdravko Krivokapić was formed on 4 December 2020. In September 2020 Đukanović accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of interfering in Montenegro’s internal affairs.

In October 2021, Đukanović and his son Blažo were mentioned in the international journalistic investigation known as the Pandora Papers. Toward the end of his term he dissolved parliament and called early elections for June 2023.

The 2023 Election Defeat and Departure from the DPS Leadership

In the 2023 presidential election, Đukanović won about 35 percent in the first round on 19 March and came first, ahead of Jakov Milatović with about 29 percent. In the second round on 2 April, Milatović defeated him with about 60 percent of the vote against about 40 percent. Turnout was around 70 percent.

Đukanović conceded defeat and congratulated the winner. According to reports, the entire opposition backed Milatović in the second round. This ended a period in power that, with interruptions, had lasted since February 1991, about 32 years.

In early April 2023 he stepped down as DPS leader, and Danijel Živković took his place. According to Wikipedia, since 2023 he is listed as an independent politician. In the early elections of 11 June 2023, Milojko Spajić’s Europe Now movement won, while the coalition led by the DPS finished second.

Controversies and Legal Proceedings

The best-known controversy concerns cigarette smuggling. Prosecutors in Naples and Bari investigated the involvement of Montenegrin officials in an international tobacco smuggling network. The Naples prosecutor’s office sought an arrest warrant for Đukanović in 2002, but an Italian judge rejected the request in 2003 on the grounds that he enjoyed immunity. In March 2008 Đukanović was questioned in Bari for more than six hours, invoking his immunity.

When the Bari prosecutor’s office filed an indictment against other people in 2009, Đukanović was left out because of immunity. Đukanović has always denied personal involvement, arguing that the transit trade was lawful. No trial against him has ever been held.

In August 2025, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office dismissed, because of the statute of limitations, a criminal complaint in the Telekom affair against Đukanović, his sister Ana and others. Đukanović said the reason was the absence of a criminal offense. In November 2025 the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption found that his watches had not been reported in his asset declarations, but the Administrative Court annulled that decision in June 2026 because it was not sufficiently specific.

In September 2026, a criminal complaint was filed against Đukanović and several others on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with electricity procurement for the Aluminium Plant Podgorica. This is a complaint, not a verdict, so the presumption of innocence applies to all allegations.

Personal Life

Milo Đukanović is married to Lidija, née Kuč, who holds a law degree. They met through basketball, which is his favorite recreational sport. They have a son, Blažo.

His brother Aleksandar Aco is a well-known businessman, and his sister Ana is a lawyer. The family lives in Podgorica. Although he is a public figure, he rarely speaks about his private life, and his wife mostly appears at social events and basketball games.

Interesting Facts

• He was elected prime minister on his 29th birthday, 15 February 1991.
• He is 198 centimeters tall and plays basketball recreationally.
• He was one of the three “young, handsome and smart” figures of the anti-bureaucratic revolution, together with Momir Bulatović and Svetozar Marović.
• His party, the successor of the League of Communists, governed Montenegro from 1991 to 2020.
• In 2006 he delivered the independence of a country whose independence he had earlier on several occasions rejected as a “separatist” idea.

Awards and Recognition

Đukanović has received a number of decorations. Among them are the Russian public Order of Peter the Great, First Class, the Albanian Order of the National Flag, presented to him by the speaker of the Albanian parliament Ilir Meta, and a prize of the International League of Humanists from Sarajevo, awarded together with Svetozar Marović.

Part of the public in the region criticized some of these honors, which shows how divisive his figure was.

Legacy and Influence

Milo Đukanović left a deep mark on the modern history of Montenegro. His supporters point to the restoration of independence in 2006, NATO membership in 2017 and the start of negotiations with the European Union. They believe he led the country out of Milošević’s orbit and turned it toward the West.

Critics, including some of his former associates, argue that his long rule enabled the rise of a political and business elite and weakened independent institutions. That assessment remains a matter of political dispute in the country.

Historians and analysts agree on one point: his departure in 2023 marked the end of a political era. His legacy remains divided between those who see him as a state-builder and those who see him as a symbol of a captured state.