1997 Eastern Slavonia integrity referendum

Do you want Eastern Slavonia to remain a single unit? Flag of the Republic of Eastern Slavonia - Baranja - and Western Syrmia.svg 6 April 1997 12 Yes 12 No & Invalid 76,845 768 77,613 100,275 Source: United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium.png Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia 1997 Eastern Slavonia integrity referendum was held on 6 April in short-lived Serb parallel entity of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia which at the time was already governed by the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) as an UN governed territory. Srpska oblast Istočna Slavonija, Baranja i Zapadni Srijem – od "Oluje" do dovršetka mirne reintegracije hrvatskog Podunavlja (prvi dio) Nikica Barić Scrinia Slavonica 11 393–451 Hrvatski institut za povijest Zagreb 2011 https://hrcak.srce.hr/en/clanak/116219 2022-06-10 2022-06-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20220610210705/https://hrcak.srce.hr/en/clanak/116219 live Voters were asked whether they supported the proposal for the region of Eastern Slavonia to remain a single territorial oblast within Croatia after the end of UNTAES mandate instead of division into Vukovar-Syrmia and Osijek-Baranja County.http://edition.cnn.com/almanac/9704/06/ Today's Events; Sunday, April 6, 1997 CNN Oleh Zwadiuk 6 April 1997 10 June 2022 8 March 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20050308011122/http://edition.cnn.com/almanac/9704/06/ dead Reportedly 99.01% or 99.5% of voters voted for the integrity of the region within Croatia. n.a. Imogen Bell 2003 Central and South Eastern Europe 2004: 4th Edition Europa Publications 182 1-85743-186-3 77,40% out of 100.275 registered voters participated in the referendum. The Government of Croatia as well as the United Nations declared the referendum to be illegitimate.https://www.rferl.org/a/1084493.html Croatia: U.S. Urges Participation In Elections Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Oleh Zwadiuk 9 April 1997 10 June 2022 22 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210122041843/https://www.rferl.org/a/1084493.html live Referendum was organized by the parallel Serb bodies in the region ahead of the 1997 Croatian local elections with Spokesperson for the United States Department of State R. Nicholas Burns encouraging all citizens of Croatia, Croats and Serbs, to participate in Croatian local elections. Despite the referendum outcome Serbs in the region nonetheless participated in Croatian local elections and a new moderate Serb political party Independent Democratic Serb Party won majority of their votes.https://www.hrw.org/legacy/worldreport/Helsinki-07.htm Human Rights Watch World Report 1998; CROATIA; Human Rights Developments Human Rights Watch 10 June 2022 7 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211207080019/https://www.hrw.org/legacy/worldreport/Helsinki-07.htm live From the beginning the referendum initiative was perceived as an internal political struggle between the moderates (at the time led by Vojislav Stanimirović) and hawkish (led by Goran Hadžić) group among the local Serb political leadership.Nina Caspersen 2010 Contested Nationalism: Serb Elite Rivalry in Croatia and Bosnia in the 1990s Berghahn Books 164 978-1-84545-726-6 While hawkish proposal gained overwhelming electorate support, contrary to the war years moderates managed to prevail due to international support for the moderate course, and additional change of position towards moderates both by parties which will form the Democratic Opposition of Serbia and Slobodan Milošević regime. Following the referendum, Vojislav Stanimirović met with the President of Croatia Franjo Tuđman where he stated his belief that "the best option would be a Serb county, but if neither Croatia nor the international community is willing to accept it then the formation of the council of Serb municipalities as planned in Erdut Agreement is the second-best option". See also 1997–1998 crisis in Republika Srpska Erdut Agreement 1991 Croatian independence referendum Z-4 Plan Operation Storm References Category:Referendums in Croatia Eastern Slavonia integrity referendum Eastern Slavonia integrity referendum Category:History of Slavonia Eastern Slavonia integrity referendum Category:Serbian nationalism in Croatia Category:Proposed administrative territorial entities