Some observers have described Đukanović's rule as authoritarian or autocratic, as well as a kleptocracy. In 2020, the Freedom House classified Montenegro as a hybrid regime rather than a democracy, mentioning the years of increasing state capture, abuse of power, and strongman tactics employed by Đukanović. He is often described as having strong links to Montenegrin mafia. Đukanović was listed among the twenty richest world leaders according to the British newspaper "The Independent" in May 2010, which described the source of his estimated £10 million wealth as "mysterious".