During the 1980s, Yugoslavia has faced a growing political and economic crisis that threatened the very survival of the federation. Conflicting strategies of the future of the nation, based on the republic's capital, Belgrade, the power of the League of Communists, and its debt crisis, finally separated on the 14th Extraordinary Congress in January 1990.[1]
Preparations for congress
The regular congress of the SKJ should have been held in 1990, although the extraordinary congress was suggested earlier at the 18th session of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia when this proposal was rejected. Then, at the 20th session, the delegation of Vojvodina again proposed the holding of an extraordinary congress, which was again rejected, while the same proposal at the 22nd session was not accepted. Calling this congress 'extraordinary' (which (iz)vanredni literally translates to, in a sense of emergency) was especially opposed by the Slovenian delegation.[needs context] On the issues to be addressed, especially those concerning the future organization of Yugoslavia, the congress was indeed remarkable.
Delegates
In total, the 14th Congress had 1,655 delegates.[2] Of these, 1,457 were elected as delegates and 198 represented the LCY's central party organs. The first session was attended by 1,601 delegates,[3] the second by 1,612 delegates[4] and the third by 1,096 delegates.
During the Congress, any illusions about a united SKJ front that could bring the country out of crisis were dispelled.[1] Instead, the Congress was dominated mostly by clashes between the Serbian and Slovenian delegations over the power and decision-making process of the constituent republics of Yugoslavia. The Serbian delegation advocated introducing a "one man – one vote" policy with a more centralized Yugoslavia. The Slovenes, however, suggested a confederation party and state, giving more power to the republics. All of the proposals of the Slovenian delegation, led by Milan Kučan, were rejected. At the same time, the Serbian proposals were accepted on a majority vote, helped by Serbia's domination of the votes in Kosovo, Vojvodina and Montenegro.
After two days of sharp verbal conflict, the Slovene delegation walked out of the Sava Center on 22 January, accompanied by the applause of the Serbian representatives. Immediately thereafter, the head of the delegation from Serbia, Slobodan Milošević, suggested that Congress continue to work and move on to decision-making. However, this was strongly opposed by the delegation from Croatia, who argued that this was unconstitutional. At the prompting of Slobodan Lang, Ivica Račan, head of the Croatian delegation, approached the speaker and declared that "we (the Croat delegation) can not accept the Yugoslav party without the Slovenes". When Milošević asked what it would take to recommence the meeting, the Croatian delegation remarked, "the Slovene delegation", and that if the meeting was recommenced, they too would leave the proceedings. When attempts were made, the Croatian delegation was true to their word, and they too left, joined by the delegations of Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At 22.45, Milan Pančevski called the day's proceedings to a close and an adjournment for the following day; however, this did not happen, and the congress was recalled on 26 May.[6]
On the early morning of 23 January, the Working Presidency adjourned the congress and called for reconvening the congress on a later, unspecified date.
3rd Session (26 May)
The 14th Congress reconvened on 26 May. It was attended by delegates of SKJ branches in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Vojvodina, the army, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as by individual delegates from Croatia and Macedonia. None attended from the Slovenian branch. Grbović led the opening proceedings until the election of the presiding organ, the Working Presidency. The presidency was mostly composed of the presidents of the remaining SKJ branches: Momir Bulatović, Nijaz Duraković, Rahman Morina, Nedeljko Šipovac, Bogdan Trifunović, Simeon Bunčić, as well as Petar Škundrić and Miomir Grbović. Škundrić was elected president of the Working Presidency, and led congress proceedings. The congress concluded by electing a provisional leadership, the Committee for the Preparation of the Democratic and Programmatic Renewal of the LCY Central Committee.[7] The provisional leadership failed to provide cohesive leadership. Yugoslavia faced an uncertain period after the Congress, without any significant, cohesive force or individual that could lead the state out of its crisis.[1] Soon after, the SKJ became defunct after 71 years of existence, ending 45 years of uninterrupted rule and paving the way for free elections. This event was one of the key moments for the beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia.[1][8]
References
Archives
"Изостао 521 делегат" [521 delegates were absent]. Borba. 28 May 1990.
Vučinić, D.; Torov, I.; Ćuruvija, S. (28 May 1990). "Сви наши председници" [All our presidents]. Borba.
Books
Bilandžić, D. (1999): Croatian Modern History, Zagreb: Golden Marketing
Cohen, LJ (1993): Broken Bonds: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia, Boulder-San Francisco-Oxford: Westview Press
Duka, Z. (2005): Račan – Biography, Zagreb: Profile
Goldstein, I. (2003): Croatian History, Zagreb: Novi Liber
Jović, B. (1996): The Last Days of the SFRY, Izvodi iz dnevnika, Beograd: Politika
Jović, D. (2003): Yugoslavia – the state that has died, Zagreb: Prometheus
Milosavljević, O. (2004): The Antibiography Revolution 1987-1989. godine, u: Fleck, HG, Graovac, I. (ur.)
Dialogue of Historians / Historians, 8, Zagreb: Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Milošević, S. (1989.): Years of Expenditure, Belgrade: BIGZ
Basic directions of SKH's action on society reform and SK, Naše teme, 1990 (3-4): 602-622
Pauković, D. (2008): Pre-election campaign in Croatia in 1990 in the light of Croatian and Serbian news,
Journal of Contemporary History, 2008 (1): 13-31
Ramet, SP (2005): Balkan Babylon. The breakup of Yugoslavia from Tito's death to Milošević's fall, Zagreb: Alinea
Silber, L., Little, A. (1996): Death of Yugoslavia, Opatija: Otokar Keršovani
