Tribal Politics in the Balkans: Elections and Nation-Building in Montenegro

Abstract

This article examines the electoral effect of revived tribal identity in contemporary Montenegro, despite the ruling party’s attempt to consolidate national identity. Using original data from the 2016 and 2020 elections, I show that contemporary tribalism in the Western Balkans is not merely a depoliticised folkloric occurrence but a consequential political phenomenon. Voters actively use tribal membership to help determine their position on nationhood cleavage and inform vote choice. The findings confirm that the politicisation of tribal affiliations is detrimental to the predominant Democratic Party of Socialists (Demokratska partija socijalista), as it disproportionately fractionalises Montenegrin ethnicity, from which the party draws support for its nation-building agenda.