Public trust in Prime Minister Milojko Spajić is declining, with growing disappointment over unfulfilled promises and the strong influence of party interests on employment. Compared to his predecessors, Krivokapić and Abazović, Spajić’s ratings remain within similar ranges, but perception of inefficiency and political bargaining further erode trust in his government. Instead of a break with past poor practices, citizens increasingly recognize the continuation of party-based hiring and disorganization, which contributes to a broader decline in optimism, as part of the findings of the latest MNE Pulse, a joint initiative of the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) and the Damar Institute, recently presented with the announcement that additional data on the Government will be published soon.
The trends indicate a decline in trust in Prime Minister Spajić. Findings from MNE Pulse, from July 2024, showed that one year after the parliamentary elections, 15% of citizens fully trusted him, 33% had partial trust, 37% expressed distrust, and 15% remained undecided. Less than two years after the parliamentary elections, the numbers have worsened significantly for Spajić – only 8% fully trust him, 28.1% have partial trust, while 11.7% somewhat distrust him, and 25.8% express complete distrust, with 26.4% remaining undecided.
For comparison, MNE Pulse data from October 2022 showed that 46.9% of citizens did not trust the then acting Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, while 5.5% fully trusted him and 33.3% had partial trust. Similarly, Zdravko Krivokapić, after a year in office, according to MNE Pulse findings from November 2021, had the full trust of 9.4% of citizens, partial trust of 31.1%, while 43.9% did not trust hims at all. This means that some level of trust in Abazović’s technical Government was expressed by 38.8%, in Krivokapić’s Government before its collapse 40.5%, whereas Spajić currently stands at 36.1%.
The findings from MNE Pulse in March 2025 also indicate a decline in the public’s rating of Spajić’s Government – from 2.71 in the first 100 days to 2.51. Comparatively, this is higher than Zdravko Krivokapić’s Government (2.28) and Dritan Abazović’s Government (2.23), although none of these administations managed to surpass a score of three on a scale of 1 to 5.
The latest MNE Pulse data show that 5.5% of citizens believe Spajić’s Government has exceeded expectations, while 37.3% say it meets expectations, though the nature of those expectations was not questioned. On the other hand, 40.3% of citizens believe the Government is performing below all expectations, while 17% remain undecided. Comparatively, about 50% of citizens had rated both the 42nd Government led by Krivokapić and the 43rd Government led by Abazović as falling below expectations.
MNE Pulse data also highlights a prevailing perception that employment in Milojko Spajić’s government is based on party and nepotistic connections (65.3%) rather than individual merit (34.7%). Additionally, ministers are perceived as being focused on self-promotion (60.7%) than on official duties (39.3%), while the government is seen as disorganized and dysfunctional (59.2%) contrary to promises of an efficient and well-organized administration (40.8%). Furthermore, 56.5% believe the Government prioritizes party interests, while only 43.5% think it serves the public interest. Opinions about the influence of Aleksandar Vučić are divided, with a prevailing view that the Government is dedicated to the interests of the state of Montenegro (55%) compared to the interests of Aleksandar Vučić (45%).
The findings also raise serious concerns about employment practices, with strong perceptions that hiring is based on personal and party connections rather than meritocracy. On a scale of 1-5, party loyalty (3.91) and personal ties (3.88) dominate, followed by ethnicity (3.16), education and experience (2.89), and religious affiliation (2.85). This clearly signals that the promised meritocracy remains out of reach.
Comparing the last three governments, all of which publicly swore to merit-based hiring and system reforms since the 2020 political transition, the data reveals that not only have old corrupt practices persisted, but they have actually deepened.
Data collection was carried out using the CAPI method from 22 February to 3 March 2025, on a three-stage stratified random sample that included 1,002 citizens of Montenegro.
MNE Pulse represents a joint initiative of CCCE and DAMAR with the goal of helping those who work on the strategic democratic shaping of society to make decisions based on reliable data and thorough analysis, keeping the focus on citizens. This way, the quality of public debate on important issues can be improved, as well as raising the level of accountability among all actors.
Nikola Mirković, Programme Associate