Srdjan Darmanovic

Dominant Party Rule and Its Defeat: The Case of Montenegro in Comparative Perspective

Dr. Srdjan Darmanovic is a professor of comparative politics at the University of Montenegro and member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, an expert body that advises countries on democratic development and democratic institutions. He has previously served as Montenegro’s minister of foreign affairs (2016–2020) and ambassador to the United States (2010–2016). A dedicated scholar and champion of democracy, he is the founding dean of the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Montenegro, and the founder and past president of the Montenegrin think tank Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM). He is the author of two books, Real Socialism: Anatomy of Collapse (1996) and Malformed Democracy: The Drama of Yugoslav Post-Communism (1993), as well as the co-author of several books and articles on politics in the former Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe, including his articles in Journal of Democracy. During his fellowship, Dr. Darmanovic is exploring the phenomenon of dominant party rule in comparative perspective, assessing whether dominant parties are conducive to stable democracy or whether they contribute to democracy’s deterioration. He is writing a book manuscript that will benefit academic audiences as well as individuals and organizations working with political parties.