Croatia marks Independence Day on Wednesday, June 25, commemorating the historic decision of the Parliament to initiate the process of secession from the other Yugoslav republics, made 34 years ago, on June 25, 1991.
This historic decision by the Croatian Parliament was preceded by the decision expressed by Croatian citizens in a referendum held on May 19, 1991, clearly stating that they did not want Croatia to remain in Yugoslavia as a single federal state.
In that referendum, Croatian citizens made the following decisions:
"The Republic of Croatia, as a sovereign and independent state, which guarantees cultural autonomy and all civil rights to Serbs and members of other nationalities in Croatia, can enter into an alliance of sovereign states with other republics". 93,24 percent of voters voted "for" that decision.
"The Republic of Croatia will not remain in Yugoslavia as a single federal state." 92,18 percent of voters supported this decision.
Based on this expression of the will of the citizens, and after the failure of negotiations with other former Yugoslav republics on a way out of the state-political crisis, the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, at a joint session of all three parliamentary chambers on June 25, 1991, adopted the Constitutional Decision on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Croatia.
It establishes that "with this act, the Republic of Croatia initiates the process of disassociation from other republics and the SFRY and the process of international recognition," the Croatian Parliament reminds.
At the same session, the Parliament adopted the Declaration on the Proclamation of the Sovereign and Independent Republic of Croatia.
Through the mediation of the international community, in order to facilitate negotiations on disassociation among the former Yugoslav republics, the Brijuni Declaration established a three-month period for the postponement of the implementation of the Constitutional Decision of 25 June 1991.
However, with the expiration of the moratorium on that historic decision, on October 8, 1991, the day after JNA aircraft rocketed the Banske Dvori, where the Croatian state leadership was at the time, the Republic of Croatia severed its state and legal ties with the other republics and became a free, autonomous and independent state.
Photo: HINA / Hrvoje ŽUČKO
