1991 Croatian independence referendum

none May 2019 1991 Croatian independence referendumElectorate 3,652,225Turnout (83.56%) 3,051,881Supporting sovereignty andindependence of Croatia Voting options Votes % Yes 2,845,521 93.24No 126,630 4.15Supporting Croatia remainingin federal Yugoslavia Voting options Votes % Yes 164,267 5.38No 2,813,085 92.18Source: State Election Committee Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. With 83 percent turnout, voters approved the referendum, with 93 percent in favor of independence. Subsequently, Croatia declared independence and the dissolution of its association with Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, but it introduced a three-month moratorium on the decision when urged to do so by the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe through the Brioni Agreement. The war in Croatia escalated during the moratorium, and on 8 October 1991, the Croatian Parliament severed all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. In 1992, the countries of the European Economic Community granted Croatia diplomatic recognition and Croatia was admitted to the United Nations. Background left|thumb|Croatian Parliament building After World War II, Croatia became a one-party socialist federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Croatia was ruled by the League of Communists and enjoyed a degree of autonomy within the Yugoslav federation. In 1967, a group of Croatian authors and linguists published the Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Literary Language, demanding greater autonomy for the Croatian language.https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/76413 Radovi Zavoda Za Hrvatsku Povijest 31 1 0353-295X 317–318 Deklaracija o nazivu i položaju hrvatskog književnog jezika – Građa za povijest Deklaracije, Zagreb, 1997, str. 225 Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Standard Language – Declaration History Articles, Zagreb, 1997, p. 225 hr Ivica Šute 1 April 1999 PDF 14 October 2011 The declaration contributed to a national movement seeking greater civil rights and decentralization of the Yugoslav economy, culminating in the Croatian Spring of 1971, which was suppressed by Yugoslav leadership.Jutarnji list hr http://www.jutarnji.hr/heroina-hrvatskog-proljeca/305499/ Heroina Hrvatskog proljeća Heroine of the Croatian Spring 6 August 2009 Vlado Vurušić 14 October 2011 6 August 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120806045846/http://www.jutarnji.hr/heroina-hrvatskog-proljeca/305499/ The 1974 Yugoslav Constitution gave increased autonomy to federal units, essentially fulfilling a goal of the Croatian Spring and providing a legal basis for independence of the federative constituents.Roland Rich Recognition of States: The Collapse of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union European Journal of International Law 1993 1 4 36–65 10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035834 http://www.ejil.org/article.php?article=1207&issue=67 18 October 2011 subscription In the 1980s, the political situation in Yugoslavia deteriorated, with national tension fanned by the 1986 Serbian SANU Memorandum and the 1989 coups in Vojvodina, Kosovo and Montenegro.Frucht 2005 433Reuters https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/12/world/leaders-of-a-republic-in-yugoslavia-resign.html?sq=Titograd&scp=2&st=nyt Leaders of a Republic in Yugoslavia Resign The New York Times 12 January 1989 7 February 2010 6 November 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20121106113747/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/12/world/leaders-of-a-republic-in-yugoslavia-resign.html In January 1990, the Communist Party fragmented along national lines, with the Croatian faction demanding a looser federation.Davor Pauković Centar za politološka istraživanja http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=55640 hr Posljednji kongres Saveza komunista Jugoslavije: uzroci, tijek i posljedice raspada Last Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia: Causes, Consequences and Course of Dissolution 1 June 2008 Časopis Za Suvremenu Povijest 1 1 21–33 PDF 1847-2397 11 December 2010 In the same year, the first multi-party elections were held in Croatia, with Franjo Tuđman's win resulting in further nationalist tensions.The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-franjo-tudjman-1132142.html Obituary: Franjo Tudjman Branka Magas 13 December 1999 17 October 2011 10 November 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20121110024351/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-franjo-tudjman-1132142.html The Croatian Serb politicians boycotted the Sabor, and local Serbs seized control of Serb-inhabited territory, setting up road blocks and voting for those areas to become autonomous. The Serb "autonomous oblasts" would soon unite to become the internationally unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK),The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/20/world/armed-serbs-guard-highways-in-croatia-during-referendum.html?ref=croatia Armed Serbs Guard Highways in Croatia During Referendum 20 August 1990 11 December 2010https://books.google.com/books?id=zUbQRQAACAAJ Elections in Europe: A Data Handbook Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen Philip Stöver 978-3-8329-5609-7 Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft 2010 401 27 December 2011 intent on achieving independence from Croatia.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/02/world/croatia-s-serbs-declare-their-autonomy.html Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic Croatia's Serbs Declare Their Autonomy 2 October 1990 11 December 2010 12 November 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20121112065457/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/02/world/croatia-s-serbs-declare-their-autonomy.html Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States https://books.google.com/books?id=qmN95fFocsMC 272–278 978-1-85743-058-5 1998 Routledge 16 December 2010 Referendum and declaration of independence left|upright|thumb|1991 referendum poster On 25 April 1991, the Croatian Parliament decided to hold an independence referendum on 19 May. The decision was published in the official gazette of the Republic of Croatia and made official on 2 May 1991.Narodne Novine https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/254259.html hr Odluka o raspisu referenduma Decision to hold a referendum 2 May 1991 27 December 2011 The referendum offered two options. In the first, Croatia would become a sovereign and independent state, guaranteeing cultural autonomy and civil rights to Serbs and other minorities in Croatia, free to form an association of sovereign states with other former Yugoslav republics. In the second, Croatia would remain in Yugoslavia as a unified federal state.Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-16-mn-2455-story.html Croatia Calls for EC-Style Yugoslavia 16 July 1991 20 December 2010 Serb local authorities called for a boycott of the vote.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/20/world/croatia-votes-for-sovereignty-and-confederation.html?ref=croatia Croatia Votes for Sovereignty and Confederation Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic 20 May 1991 12 December 2010 An alternative counter-referendum was held a week earlier in Serb controlled areas where voters were asked if they want to remain a part of Yugoslavia. This referendum was delayed in SAO Eastern Slavonia, where it took place on the same day as the Croatian independence referendum. https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/413781 hr Srpska pobuna u selima vukovarske općine 1990. - 1991. Serb Rebelion in the Villages of Vukovar Municipality 1990. - 1991. Vladimir Filipović Scrinia Slavonica 22 1 2022 291–319 Department for the History of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja of the Croatian Institute of History 10.22586/ss.22.1.9 253783796 4 December 2022 Hrčak free The Croatian independence referendum was held at 7,691 polling stations, where voters were given two ballots—blue and red, with a single referendum option each, allowing use of either or both of ballots. The referendum question proposing independence of Croatia, presented on the blue ballot, passed with 93.24% in favor, 4.15% against, and 1.18% of invalid or blank votes. The second referendum question, proposing that Croatia should remain in Yugoslavia, was declined with 5.38% votes in favor, 92.18% against and 2.07% of invalid votes. The turnout was 83.56%.State Election Committee http://www.izbori.hr/arhiva/pdf/1991/1991_Rezultati_Referendum.pdf hr Izviješće o provedenom referendumu Report on performed referendum 22 May 1991 27 December 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120227183944/http://www.izbori.hr/arhiva/pdf/1991/1991_Rezultati_Referendum.pdf 27 February 2012 dead Croatia subsequently declared independence and dissolved (hr razdruženje) its association with Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/26/world/2-yugoslav-states-vote-independence-to-press-demands.html 2 Yugoslav States Vote Independence To Press Demands Chuck Sudetic 26 June 1991 12 December 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20121110162855/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/26/world/2-yugoslav-states-vote-independence-to-press-demands.html 10 November 2012 liveNarodne Novine https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/1991_06_31_875.html Deklaracija o proglašenju suverene i samostalne Republike Hrvatske Declaration on proclamation of sovereign and independent Republic of Croatia hr 25 June 1991 12 December 2010 The European Economic Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe urged Croatian authorities to place a three-month moratorium on the decision.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/26/world/europeans-warn-on-yugoslav-split.html?ref=croatia Europeans Warn on Yugoslav Split Alan Riding 26 June 1991 12 December 2010 Croatia agreed to freeze its independence declaration for three months, initially easing tensions.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/29/world/conflict-in-yugoslavia-2-yugoslav-states-agree-to-suspend-secession-process.html?ref=croatia Conflict in Yugoslavia; 2 Yugoslav States Agree to Suspend Secession Process Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic 29 June 1991 12 December 2010 Nonetheless, the Croatian War of Independence escalated further.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/06/world/shells-still-fall-on-croatian-towns-despite-truce.html?ref=croatia Shells Still Fall on Croatian Towns Despite Truce Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic 6 October 1991 16 December 2010 On 7 October, the eve of expiration of the moratorium, the Yugoslav Air Force attacked Banski dvori, the main government building in Zagreb.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/08/world/yugoslav-planes-attack-croatian-presidential-palace.html Yugoslav Planes Attack Croatian Presidential Palace 8 October 1991 13 December 2010Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-08-mn-151-story.html Croatia Leader's Palace Attacked 8 October 1991 Carol J. Williams 23 January 2011 On 8 October 1991, the moratorium expired, and the Croatian Parliament severed all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. That particular session of the parliament was held in the INA building in Šubićeva Street in Zagreb due to security concerns provoked by the aforementioned Yugoslav air raid;Sabor hr http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=24723 Govor predsjednika Hrvatskog sabora Luke Bebića povodom Dana neovisnosti Speech of Luka Bebić, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament on occasion of the Independence day 7 October 2008 28 December 2011 specifically, it was feared that the Yugoslav Air Force might attack the parliament building.Glas Slavonije hr http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/mvijest.asp?rub=3&ID_VIJESTI=11436 Dvadeset godina slobodne Hrvatske Twenty years of free Croatia 8 October 2011 Dražen Boroš 29 December 2011 26 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221126172338/http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/mvijest.asp?rub=3&ID_VIJESTI=11436 dead 8 October was celebrated as Croatia's Independence Day for a while. Nowadays, October 8 is the Memorial Day of the Croatian Parliament and no longer a public holiday.Narodne Novine https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2019_11_110_2212.html Zakon o blagdanima, spomendanima i neradnim danima u Republici Hrvatskoj Law of Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days in the Republic of Croatia hr 15 November 2019 20 May 2021 Recognition left|thumb|INA building on Šubićeva Avenue, Zagreb was selected for security reasons as the venue for parliament's declaration of independence on 8 October 1991 The Badinter Arbitration Committee was set up by the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) on 27 August 1991 to provide legal advice and criteria for diplomatic recognition to former Yugoslav republics.https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/32133 Politička Misao 0032-3241 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Political Sciences Sandro Knezović hr Europska politika u vrijeme disolucije jugoslavenske federacije European Politics at the Time of the Dissolution of the Yugoslav Federation 109–131 43 3 February 2007 18 June 2012 PDF In late 1991, the Commission stated, among other things, that Yugoslavia was in the process of dissolution, and that the internal boundaries of Yugoslav republics could not be altered unless freely agreed upon.Allain Pellet The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee: A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples European Journal of International Law 1992 3 1 178–185 10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035802 http://207.57.19.226/journal/Vol3/No1/art12-13.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110529223410/http://207.57.19.226/journal/Vol3/No1/art12-13.pdf 29 May 2011 Factors in the preservation of Croatia's pre-war borders, defined by demarcation commissions in 1947,Egon Kraljević Croatian State Archives http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=41791 121–130 hr Prilog za povijest uprave: Komisija za razgraničenje pri Predsjedništvu Vlade Narodne Republike Hrvatske 1945.-1946 Contribution to the history of public administration: commission for the boundary demarcation at the government's presidency of the People's Republic of Croatia, 1945–1946 November 2007 Arhivski vjesnik 50 50 PDF 0570-9008 20 June 2012 were the Yugoslav federal constitutional amendments of 1971 and 1974, granting that sovereign rights were exercised by the federal units, and that the federation had only the authority specifically transferred to it by the constitution. Čobanov Saša Rudolf Davorin University of Split Faculty of Law http://www.pravst.hr/zbornik.php?p=25&s=170 hr Jugoslavija: unitarna država ili federacija povijesne težnje srpskoga i hrvatskog naroda – jedan od uzroka raspada Jugoslavije Yugoslavia: a unitary state or federation of historic efforts of Serbian and Croatian nations—one of the causes of breakup of Yugoslavia 2009 Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta u Splitu 46 2 1847-0459 10 December 2010 right|thumb|upright|Robert Badinter presided over the Arbitration Commission of the Conference on Yugoslavia Germany advocated quick recognition of Croatia, stating that it wanted to stop ongoing violence in Serb-inhabited areas. It was opposed by France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, but the countries agreed to pursue a common approach and avoid unilateral actions. On 10 October, two days after the Croatian Parliament confirmed the declaration of independence, the EEC decided to postpone any decision to recognize Croatia for two months, deciding to recognize Croatian independence in two months if the war had not ended by then. As the deadline expired, Germany presented its decision to recognize Croatia as its policy and duty—a position supported by Italy and Denmark. France and the UK attempted to prevent the recognition by drafting a United Nations resolution requesting no unilateral actions which could worsen the situation, but backed down during the Security Council debate on 14 December, when Germany appeared determined to defy the UN resolution. On 17 December, the EEC formally agreed to grant Croatia diplomatic recognition on 15 January 1992, relying on opinion of the Badinter Arbitration Committee.Europe and the breakup of Yugoslavia: a political failure in search of a scholarly explanation https://books.google.com/books?id=bcxv1eVCyhIC 978-90-411-1439-6 Sonia Lucarelli Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2000 27 December 2011 125–129 The Committee ruled that Croatia's independence should not be recognized immediately, because the new Croatian Constitution did not provide protection of minorities required by the EEC. In response, the President Franjo Tuđman gave written assurances to Robert Badinter that the deficit would be remedied.Roland Rich Recognition of States: The Collapse of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union European Journal of International Law 1993 4 1 48–49 http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/4/1/1207.pdf 30 November 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120421143955/http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/4/1/1207.pdf 21 April 2012 The RSK formally declared its separation from Croatia on 19 December, but its statehood and independence were not recognized internationally.https://books.google.com/books?id=L7UOyPGYBkwC Statehood and the law of self-determination 978-90-411-1890-5 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2002 79–81 28 December 2011 On 26 December, Yugoslav authorities announced plans for a smaller state, which could include the territory captured from Croatia,The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/27/world/serb-led-presidency-drafts-plan-for-new-and-smaller-yugoslavia.html?ref=croatia Serb-Led Presidency Drafts Plan For New and Smaller Yugoslavia 27 December 1991 28 December 2011 but the plan was rejected by the UN General Assembly.United Nations http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N95/766/51/PDF/N9576651.pdf?OpenElement PDF A/RES/49/43 The situation in the occupied territories of Croatia 9 February 1995 28 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150519235642/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N95/766/51/PDF/N9576651.pdf?OpenElement 19 May 2015 Croatia was first recognized as an independent state on 26 June 1991 by Slovenia, which declared its own independence on the same day as Croatia. Lithuania followed on 30 July, and Ukraine, Latvia, Iceland, and Germany in December 1991.Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (Croatia) http://www.mfa.hr/MVP.asp?pcpid=1177 Date of Recognition and Establishment of Diplomatic Relation 18 December 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20100813073120/http://www.mfa.hr/MVP.asp?pcpid=1177 13 August 2010 dead The EEC countries granted Croatia recognition on 15 January 1992, and the United Nations admitted them in May 1992.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/24/world/slovenia-and-croatia-get-bonn-s-nod.html Slovenia and Croatia Get Bonn's Nod Stephen Kinzer Stephen Kinzer 24 December 1991 29 July 2012 20 June 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20120620034701/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/24/world/slovenia-and-croatia-get-bonn-s-nod.html https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/23/world/3-ex-yugoslav-republics-are-accepted-into-un.html 3 Ex-Yugoslav Republics Are Accepted into U.N. The New York Times Paul L. Montgomery Paul L. Montgomery 23 May 1992 29 July 2012 11 November 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20121111013548/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/23/world/3-ex-yugoslav-republics-are-accepted-into-un.html Aftermath Although it is not a public holiday, 15 January is marked as the day Croatia won international recognition by Croatian media and politicians.Croatian Radiotelevision Obilježena obljetnica priznanja hr http://www.hrt.hr/index.php?id=48&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=101487&cHash=164234a438 https://archive.today/20120905031410/http://www.hrt.hr/index.php?id=48&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=101487&cHash=164234a438 dead 5 September 2012 Recognition Anniversary Marked 15 January 2011 29 December 2011 On the day's 10th anniversary in 2002, the Croatian National Bank minted a 25 kuna commemorative coin.Croatian National Bank http://www.hnb.hr/novcan/kovanice/e25kuna.htm Commemorative 25 Kuna Coins in Circulation 19 May 2010 29 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111216132034/http://www.hnb.hr/novcan/kovanice/e25kuna.htm 16 December 2011 In the period following the declaration of independence, the war escalated, with the sieges of VukovarThe New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/18/world/croats-concede-danube-town-s-loss.html?ref=croatia Croats Concede Danube Town's Loss Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic 18 November 1991 15 December 2010 and Dubrovnik,The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/09/world/old-city-totters-in-yugoslav-siege.html?ref=croatia David Binder Old City Totters in Yugoslav Siege 9 November 1991 16 December 2010 and fighting elsewhere, until a ceasefire of 3 January 1992 led to stabilization and a significant reduction of violence.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/03/world/yugoslav-factions-agree-to-un-plan-to-halt-civil-war.html?ref=croatia Yugoslav Factions Agree to U.N. Plan to Halt Civil War Chuck Sudetic Chuck Sudetic 3 January 1992 16 December 2010 The war effectively ended in August 1995 with a decisive victory for Croatia as a result of Operation Storm.Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-08-mn-32662-story.html Croats Declare Victory, End Blitz Dean E. Murphy 8 August 1995 18 December 2010 12 October 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20121012140454/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-08-08/news/mn-32662_1_serb-refugees The present day borders of Croatia were established when the remaining Serb-held areas of Eastern Slavonia were restored to Croatia pursuant to the Erdut Agreement of November 1995, with the process concluded in January 1998.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/16/world/an-ethnic-morass-is-returned-to-croatia.html An Ethnic Morass Is Returned to Croatia Chris Hedges Chris Hedges 16 January 1998 18 December 2010 18 May 2013 live https://web.archive.org/web/20130518201803/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/16/world/an-ethnic-morass-is-returned-to-croatia.html?ref=croatia See also Croatia Independence of Croatia Foreign relations of Croatia References Sources Frucht Richard C. Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture 1 ABC-CLIO 2005 1-57607-800-0 registration https://archive.org/details/easterneuropeint0000unse Independence referendum Category:1991 in international relations Croatia Croatia Category:Referendums in Croatia Category:Modern history of Croatia Category:Yugoslav Croatia Category:Croatian War of Independence Category:Referendums in Yugoslavia Croatian independence referendum