The Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the collective head of state of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was established in 1971 according to amendments to the 1963 Constitution and reorganized by the 1974 Constitution. Up to 1974, the Presidency had 23 members – three from each republic, two from each autonomous province and President Josip Broz Tito.Slobodan Stankovic (1984): Yugoslavia's New State Presidency In 1974 the presidency was reduced to 9 members – one from each republic and autonomous province and, until 1988, President of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia ex officio.
Constitutional powers According to the 1974 Constitution, the presidency had following powers:Constitution of the SFRY, 1974 (in Serbian) representing the federation both inside and outside the country commanding the Yugoslav People's Army, deciding on using the army both in war and in peace protecting equality of Yugoslav nationalities protecting the constitutional order proposing a candidate for the federal prime minister proposing candidates for the federal constitutional court appointing the ambassadors and generals and admirals appointing the National Defense Council and, if needed, also other agencies (one of such was Federal Council for Protection of the Constitutional Order) giving quarters and awarding state decorations
The presidency had eight members elected by assemblies of each republic and autonomous province and proclaimed by the Federal Assembly of the SFRY, the ninth member was the president of the Presidency of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. This ex officio membership of the LCY leader was abolished by the constitutional changes in autumn 1988.Amendments to the Constitution of the SFRY, 1988 (in Serbian) The mandate of the presidency lasted five years so the nine-member Presidency was elected in total four times – in 1974, 1979, 1984 and 1989.
Until 1980 most of powers of the presidency (and control over the country in general) were in fact exercised by Josip Broz Tito, who, under Article 333 of the new constitution, was elected president of the republic for an unlimited mandate. After his death in May 1980, his office was automatically abolished and the presidency began to function according to the constitution.
Sometimes, the presidency held its sessions in an extended composition. Besides the members of the actual Presidency, in such sessions the following officials took part: chairman of the Federal Assembly, chairman and vice-chairman of the Federal Executive Council (the government), federal secretaries (ministers) of defense, interior and foreign affairs, chairman of the Federal Conference of the Socialist Alliance of Working People and chairmen of the presidencies of the Yugoslav republics and autonomous provinces. The extended Presidency was an advisory council not grounded in the Constitution and as such its decisions were legally non-binding.
Post-Tito period Tito, as a president of the republic, was ex officio president of the Presidency. After his death a new president of the presidency was elected every year. The order of rotating of the members on the leading position was agreed in advance, so this annual election was a pure formality. The rotating system jammed only in May 1991 –Stipe Mesić, representative of Franjo Tuđman's new Croatian government in the presidency, was about to become the president but was not elected due to opposition of a half of the presidency controlled by Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević. The top state office of the disintegrating federation remained vacant until 1 July when Mesić was finally elected.Biography of Stipe Mesić (in Croatian) Interview with Vasil Tupurkovski, Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian)
Only one year after Tito's death, Yugoslav leaders had to face violent riots in Kosovo. On 2 April 1981 the presidency under president Cvijetin Mijatović declared a state of emergency in Priština and Kosovska Mitrovica, which lasted one week., Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian) The presidency declared a state of emergency again, that time on the whole territory of Kosovo, on 27 February 1989 under president Raif Dizdarević, when even more serious disorders in Kosovo broke out.Timetable of the conflicts in Kosovo For the third time in post-Tito Yugoslavia, a state of emergency in Kosovo was imposed by the presidency in February 1990.Bilić, Ivan. Chronology of Yugoslavia's break-up (in Croatian). National Security and the Future
The composition of the last Presidency elected in May 1989 reflected both approach of political pluralism in some parts of the federation and the beginning of agony in Yugoslavia: Janez Drnovšek from Slovenia and Bogić Bogićević from Bosnia and Herzegovina were elected in direct elections held in their republicsInterview with Bogić Bogićević, Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian) Janez Drnovšek on the English Wikipedia representatives of Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Vojvodina, i.e. half of the presidency, were acting under de facto control of Slobodan MiloševićInterview with Stipe Mesić, Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian) Stipe Šuvar, Croat representative of strongly pro-Yugoslav opinions,Stipe Suvar obituary was in October 1990 replaced by Stipe Mesić nominated by Croatian government.Interview with Stipe Šuvar, Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian) In summer 1991 Mesić and Drnovšek, regarding their republics independent, ceased to attend sessions of the presidency. They were followed by Bogićević and Vasil Tupurkovski from Macedonia, so that the presidency de facto ceased to exist, although the members from Serbia, its autonomous provinces (Kosovo and Vojvodina) and Montenegro continued to regard themselves as Yugoslav and so held sessions until 1992 when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed, this time with an individual head of state elected by the federal assembly.
Composition (1971–1992)
Presidency 1971–1974 Name Term of chairmanship RepresentingJosip Broz Tito 30 June 1971 – 15 May 1974 President of the Republic, President of the League of Communists of YugoslaviaVidoje ŽarkovićVeljko MićunovićDobroslav Ćulafić SR MontenegroJosif RajačićReplaced by Sreten KovačevićMaćaš KelemanReplaced by Mrs. Ida Sabo SAP VojvodinaIlaz KurteshiVeli Deva SAP KosovoNikola MinčevKrste CrvenkovskiKiro GligorovReplaced by Lazar Koliševski SR MacedoniaHamdija PozderacRatomir DugonjićAugustin Papić SR Bosnia and HerzegovinaSergej KraigherMarko BulcMitja Ribičič SR SloveniaDragoslav MarkovićDobrivoje VidićKoča PopovićReplaced by Dragi Stamenković SR SerbiaJakov BlaževićĐuro KladarinMiko TripaloReplaced by Milan Mišković SR Croatia Presidency 1974–1979Josip Broz Tito 15 May 1974 – 15 May 1979 President of the Republic, President of the League of Communists of YugoslaviaVidoje Žarković SR MontenegroStevan Doronjski SAP VojvodinaFadil Hoxha SAP KosovoLazar Koliševski SR MacedoniaCvijetin Mijatović SR Bosnia and HerzegovinaEdvard Kardelj11979 Sergej Kraigher SR SloveniaPetar Stambolić SR SerbiaVladimir Bakarić SR Croatia Presidency 1979–1984Josip Broz Tito1 15 May 1979 – 4 May 1980 President of the Republic, President of the League of Communists of YugoslaviaVidoje Žarković SR MontenegroStevan Doronjski11981 Radovan Vlajković SAP VojvodinaFadil Hoxha SAP KosovoLazar Koliševski 4 May 1980 – 15 May 1980 SR MacedoniaCvijetin Mijatović 15 May 1980 – 15 May 1981 SR Bosnia and HerzegovinaSergej Kraigher 15 May 1981 – 15 May 1982 SR SloveniaPetar Stambolić 15 May 1982 – 15 May 1983 SR SerbiaVladimir Bakarić11983 Mika Špiljak 15 May 1983 – 15 May 1984 SR Croatia1980 Stevan Doronjski1980 Lazar Mojsov1981 Dušan Dragosavac1982 Mitja Ribičič1983 Dragoslav Marković League of Communists of Yugoslavia Presidency 1984–1989Veselin Đuranović 15 May 1984 – 15 May 1985 SR MontenegroRadovan Vlajković 15 May 1985 – 15 May 1986 SAP VojvodinaSinan Hasani 15 May 1986 – 15 May 1987 SAP KosovoLazar Mojsov 15 May 1987 – 15 May 1988 SR MacedoniaBranko Mikulić21986 Hamdija Pozderac31987 Raif Dizdarević 15 May 1988 – 15 May 1989 SR Bosnia and HerzegovinaStane Dolanc SR SloveniaNikola Ljubičić SR SerbiaJosip Vrhovec SR Croatia1984 Ali Shukri1985 Vidoje Žarković1986 Milanko Renovica1987 Boško Krunić1988 Stipe Šuvar(until November 1988) League of Communists of Yugoslavia Presidency 1989–1992Dragutin Zelenović51990 Jugoslav Kostić SAP VojvodinaRiza Sapunxhiu61991 Sejdo Bajramović SAP KosovoVasil Tupurkovski SR Macedonia / Republic of MacedoniaBogić Bogićević SR Bosnia and HerzegovinaJanez Drnovšek 15 May 1989 – 15 May 1990 SR Slovenia / Republic of SloveniaBorisav Jović 15 May 1990 – 15 May 1991 SR Serbia / Republic of SerbiaStipe Šuvar41990 Stipe Mesić 1 July 1991 – 3 October 1991 SR Croatia / Republic of CroatiaNenad Bućin71991 Branko Kostić 6 December 1991 – 15 June 1992(acting) SR Montenegro
Notes
Died while holding the office Resigned when he became Chairman of the Federal Executive Council Resigned due to accusation of participation in the Agrokomerc scandal Recalled by the Croatian Parliament Recalled by the Serbian Parliament Recalled by the Serbian Parliament Recalled by the Montenegrin Parliament
Members List of members of the Presidency of Yugoslavia
See also List of heads of state of Yugoslavia President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia Vice President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia Prime Minister of Yugoslavia Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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