SerbianâÂÂMontenegrin unionism () is a socio-political movement which arose in the Balkans after the breakup of Yugoslavia. It advocates Montenegro being in a political union with Serbia.
The Serbs and Montenegrins share common cultural traditions, including religion (majority of both ethnicities adhere to the Serbian Orthodox Church) and language (almost all of Serbs and relative majority of Montenegrins speak Serbian as their mother tongue). According to data from the 2023 Montenegrin census, 205,370 inhabitants or 32.9% of total population ethnically identified as "Serb", with 2,969 (<1%) identifying as "Serb-Montenegrin" or "Montenegrin-Serb". About two million people in Serbia have partial or full ancestry from present-day Montenegro, mostly tracing back to the 18th and 19th centuries, vast majority of whom identify ethnically as Serb, though many (particularly first- or second-generation descendants from Montenegro) also claim a fairly strong Montenegrin regional identity.
Close relations between Montenegro and Serbia are long-standing. There were various plans of restoring a Serbian state in the 18th century, with either Habsburg or Russian support, but these had ultimately failed. In 1736âÂÂ37 Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV envisioned an autonomous South Slavic state led by the "Illyrian-Rascian nation" (the Serbs) under the Habsburg Monarchy with its own government, army, nobility, churches and schools, with a similar status to Hungary, under the governance of the Serbian Patriarch. In 1782 the former Metropolitan Vasilije Petroviàin Montenegro (s. 1744âÂÂ1766) envisioned the restoration of the medieval Serbian state including territories in the Balkans and southern Habsburg Monarchy, while his successor Petar I PetroviÃÂ's envoy to Russia presented the project of "kingdom of Old Rascia" in 1798. The archimandrite of MoraÃÂa Arsenije Gagoviàsubmitted a proposal in 1803 to the Russian court regarding a "Slavic-Serb empire" ruled by a Russian prince, likely with consultation of Metropolitan Stefan StratimiroviÃÂ. The latter sent a confidential memorandum to Russian emperor Alexander I in June 1804 (during the First Serbian Uprising) regarding the establishment of an independent Serbian monarchy under the House of Romanov encompassing Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Herzegovina, Syrmia, the Bay of Kotor and much of Dalmatia.
On 23 September 1866, Prince Mihailo and Prince Nikola agreed that they would together fight for the liberation of the Serb people in Ottoman territory and to create a united state. The united monarch would be Mihailo, while the PetroviÃÂ would remain in "great moral and material status".
Montenegro and Serbia were officially recognized as independent states by the Ottoman Empire with the Treaty of San Stefano (3 March 1878), following the Herzegovina uprising (1875âÂÂ1877), MontenegrinâÂÂOttoman War (1876âÂÂ1878) and SerbianâÂÂOttoman Wars (1876âÂÂ1878). In the late 19th century Montenegro's aspirations mirrored that of Serbia â unification and independence of Serb-inhabited lands. The PetroviÃÂ-Njegoà ¡ dynasty tried to take the role as the Serb leader and unifier, but Montenegro's small size and weak economy led to the recognition of the primacy of the KaraÃÂorÃÂeviàdynasty (in Serbia) in this respect.
The two fought as part of the Balkan League when it came to ending the Ottoman presence in Rumelia during the First Balkan War, and they fought alongside each other against Austria-Hungary and the German Empire during World War I. Plans for unification were finally partially implemented after the war. The Podgorica Assembly in November 1918 concluded the decision to merge the Kingdom of Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbia, followed by the creation of Yugoslavia. The Montenegrin monarchy was thereby removed, and opposition to the annexation culminated in the Christmas Uprising during 1919 in which a part the Montenegrin population demonstrated against the Serbian takeover.
When Yugoslavia was reformed after World War II, Montenegro became a constituent republic alongside a Serbia. When in 1991 and 1992, the most of Yugoslav republics voted for independence, Montenegro chose to continue a federation with Serbia as FR Yugoslavia (State Union of Serbia and Montenegro after 2003). In late 1990s, Montenegro, led by former pro-unionist Milo ÃÂukanoviÃÂ, reversed its direction and began taking measures to distance itself from Serbia and seek independence. This sentiment, which grew popular among the Montenegrin populace, led to the 2006 independence referendum which ended in a majority vote for independence (55.5% of the vote, with the threshold for approval of independence set at a supermajority of 55%).
Parliamentary parties:
Non-parliamentary:
Formerly:
Defunct: