From the first referendum on independence in 1992, through the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and then the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (SCG), Montenegro achieved the restoration of its independence on May 21, 2006, marking the end of a long political process.
The first referendum on the state and legal status was held on March 1, 1992. The question at the referendum was: "Are you in favor of Montenegro, as a sovereign republic, continuing to live in a common state - Yugoslavia, on full equality with other republics that wish to do so?".
In the referendum, where the turnout was 66 percent, 266.273 citizens, or 96,8 percent, supported the option for Montenegro to remain part of Yugoslavia. About four percent of citizens were against.
The 1992 referendum was boycotted by part of the Albanian national community, as well as by some opposition parties, including the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro, which advocated for Montenegrin independence. The Liberal Alliance disappeared from the political scene in 2005, a year before the referendum, although it was the progenitor of the idea of restoring state independence.
The strongest political force at the time, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), was in favor of remaining in a common state with Serbia in 1992.
The result of the referendum held at that time led to the formation of the FRY on April 27, 1992. On that date, the Federal Assembly in Belgrade adopted the Constitution of the FRY, thus formally constituting a new common state between Serbia and Montenegro after the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY).
The Constitution defines the basic principles of the federation and the relations between its members.
The FRY existed until February 4, 2003, when its structure was changed and it was transformed into a new state union called Serbia and Montenegro.
Constitutional Charter and the creation of Serbia and Montenegro
Two years after the fall from power of the former president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic, Montenegro and Serbia concluded the Belgrade Agreement, which transformed the federal state into the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. The Agreement was signed on 14 March 2002, and adopted by the FRY Parliament in late April of that year.
At the end of March 2002, the then President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic After the signing of the Belgrade Agreement in parliament, he said that the Constitution of Montenegro had not been violated, nor had Montenegro been denied its right to state independence.
Commenting on the objections that the signing of the Belgrade Agreement denied Montenegro this right, Đukanović explained that "the international community at this point was against the referendum and that Serbia was against the independence of Montenegro, but also that within Montenegro there was no convincing majority for voting for independence."
Therefore, as he said at the time, it was a more acceptable option for him to postpone the referendum for three years, so that Montenegro could in the meantime harmonize its system with that of the European Union (EU) and normalize relations with Serbia, thanks to which it would have its understanding and consent for independence.
On February 4, 2003, the deputies of the Federal Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Constitutional Charter, which enabled the community's constituents to call a plebiscite on state status three years after the document was signed, which is what the official Podgorica did.
The State Union had only five ministries: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, the Ministry of Economy and Internal Trade, the Ministry of National and Ethnic Communities, and the Ministry of Defense.
From Montenegro, the following were elected as ministers: Amir Nurkovic, who was given the portfolio of internal trade, and Branko Lukovac, who was in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations.
EU High Representative Javier Solana He expressed "genuine satisfaction" over the adoption of the Constitutional Charter, saying at the time that the institutions of the new state union and the governments of Serbia and Montenegro should ensure that it "works and that the promise of joining European integration becomes a reality."
The EU High Representative underlined that this is when "the real work begins to make the new community a reality."
Former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojislav Koštunica was dismissed, and a high-ranking DPS official was elected president of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marovic.
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro existed until May 21, 2006, when Montenegro restored its independence in a referendum.
Referendum
On May 21, Montenegro marks 20 years since it restored its independence in a referendum after almost nine decades. 419.240 citizens, or 86,5 percent of the total number of voters, voted in the referendum.
The independence of the state was supported by 230.661 citizens, or 55,5 percent of those who voted in the referendum, while 185.002 citizens, or 44,5 percent, voted to remain in the common state with Serbia.
The Parliament of Montenegro previously adopted the Law on Referendum, which was agreed upon with the recommendation of the EU and the mediation of Solana's special envoy. Miroslav LajčakFor the referendum to be successful, it needed to be supported by 55 percent of the voters who turned out.
The referendum question was: "Do you want the Republic of Montenegro to be an independent state with full international legal personality?"
The referendum was preceded by many turbulent events of the 1990s, when at the beginning the idea of an independent Montenegro was supported by a minority of the population, mainly voters of the Liberal Alliance and the Social Democratic Party. However, this changed towards the end of those years, when the then unified DPS split and when that party, led by Milo Đukanović, turned its back on the then president of the FRY, Slobodan Milošević.
The Parliament of Montenegro, on March 2, at the proposal of the President of the Republic Filip Vujanović, decided that the referendum on the state and legal status would be held on May 21. Slovak was elected as the president of the Republic Referendum Commission (RKK). František Lipka.
The right to vote in the referendum was held by citizens who, in accordance with election regulations, had the right to vote. According to RRK data, 484,7 thousand citizens had the right to vote in the referendum.
Before the referendum and during the 2006 referendum campaign, two political blocs were formed: a pro-independence bloc, led by the DPS, and a unionist bloc that advocated preserving the state union with Serbia and led by the Socialist People's Party (SNP).
The leader of the pro-independence bloc was the then Prime Minister and DPS President Đukanović. An agreement on joint participation in the referendum campaign was signed on 23 March 2006 by representatives of 10 parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties and the Movement for Independence, which formalised the formation of the sovereigntist bloc.
The document was signed by Đukanović, vice-president of the Social Democratic Party. Ivan Brajović, presidents of the Civic Party, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Albanians Krsto Pavićević, Miodrag Zivkovic i Ferhat Dinoša, presidents of the Bosniak Party, the Croatian Civic Initiative and the Democratic Community of Muslims/Bosniaks Rafet Husovic, Marija Vučinović i Rifat Vesković, coordinator of the Movement for an Independent European Montenegro Branko Lukovac, President of the National Unity Novak Kilibarda i Aleksandra Banjevic from the Civic Forum of Nikšić.
During his campaign, Đukanović emphasized the need to restore state independence and European integration. His bloc emphasized Montenegro's right to independent decision-making and strengthening its international position.
The leader of the unionist bloc (the bloc for preserving the state union) was the then president of the SNP Predrag Bulatović.
The SNP, People's Party, Democratic Serbian Party and Serbian People's Party selected Bulatović as coordinator of all activities.
"We will act unitedly and in a coordinated manner, because despite programmatic differences, we have the same goal - for Serbia and Montenegro to live together as equals," Bulatović announced.
The unionist bloc emphasized the historical, economic, and cultural ties between Montenegro and Serbia as an argument for preserving the state union.
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