1998 Serbian foreign mediation in Kosovo referendum

Last updated

1998 Serbian foreign mediation in Kosovo referendum
Flag of Serbia (1992-2004).svg
23 April 1998

Do you accept the participation of foreign representatives in solving the problems in Kosovo and Metohija?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes180,6923.48%
Light brown x.svg No5,017,38396.52%
Valid votes5,198,07598.12%
Invalid or blank votes99,7011.88%
Total votes5,297,776100.00%
Registered voters/turnout7,243,75073.14%

A referendum on foreign mediation in Kosovo was held in the Republic of Serbia on 23 April 1998. [1] Voters were asked "Do you approve the participation of foreign representatives in solving the problems in Kosovo and Metohija?" [1] The proposal was rejected by 96.53% of voters. [1] The referendum was boycotted by Kosovan Albanians. [2]

Contents

Background

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević proposed the referendum on 2 April, but required a change to the law mandating that referendums can only be held 30 days after their announcement in order to have it held before the ultimatum of the Great Powers to make a decision by 25 April. [1] On 6 April the National Assembly passed a law reducing the time limit to 15 days, with the vote of 205 in favour and nine against. [1] The referendum was then approved the following day by a vote of 193 to four. [1]

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For180,6923.48
Against5,017,38396.52
Total5,198,075100.00
Valid votes5,198,07598.12
Invalid/blank votes99,7011.88
Total votes5,297,776100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,243,75073.14
Source: Direct Democracy

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filip Vujanović</span> First President of the independent Montenegro (2006-2018)

Filip Vujanović is a Montenegrin politician who served as the 3rd president of the Republic of Montenegro under Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006, and the 1st president of independent Montenegro from 2006 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakup of Yugoslavia</span> 1991–92 Balkan political conflict

After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, the constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia split apart, but the unresolved issues caused a series of inter-ethnic Yugoslav Wars. The wars primarily affected Bosnia and Herzegovina, neighbouring parts of Croatia and, some years later, Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Kosova</span> 1991–2000 self-declared proto-state in southeast Europe

The Republic of Kosova, also known as the First Republic of Kosovo, was a self-declared proto-state in Southeast Europe established in 1991. During its peak, it tried to establish its own parallel political institutions in opposition to the institutions of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija held by Yugoslavia's Republic of Serbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatmir Sejdiu</span> Former President of Kosovo

Fatmir Sejdiu is a Kosovo Albanian politician. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and was the 1st President of Republic of Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Montenegrin independence referendum</span>

An independence referendum was held in Montenegro on 21 May 2006. It was approved by 55.5% of voters, narrowly passing the 55% threshold. By 23 May preliminary referendum results were recognized by all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, suggesting widespread international recognition if Montenegro were to become formally independent. On 31 May the referendum commission officially confirmed the results of the referendum, verifying that 55.5% of the population of Montenegrin voters had voted in favor of independence. Because voters met the controversial threshold requirement of 55% approval, the referendum was incorporated into a declaration of independence during a special parliamentary session on 31 May. The Assembly of the Republic of Montenegro made a formal Declaration of Independence on Saturday 3 June.

The political status of Kosovo, also known as the Kosovo question, is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian government and the Government of Kosovo, stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–92) and the ensuing Kosovo War (1998–99). In 1999, the administration of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija was handed on an interim basis to the United Nations under the terms of UNSCR 1244 which ended the Kosovo conflict of that year. That resolution reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Serbian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 21 January 2007 to elect members of the National Assembly. The first session of the new National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia was held on 14 February 2007. The elections enabled the coalition of DS; DSS & G17+ to continue.

A constitutional referendum was held in Serbia on 28 and 29 October 2006, in which voters decided on adopting a new Constitution. The constitution is Serbia's first as an independent state since the Kingdom of Serbia's 1903 constitution. Over 6.6 million people were entitled to vote in the national referendum.

Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. With 83 percent turnout, voters approved the referendum, with 93 percent in favor of independence. Subsequently, Croatia declared independence and the dissolution of its association with Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, but it introduced a three-month moratorium on the decision when urged to do so by the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe through the Brioni Agreement. The war in Croatia escalated during the moratorium, and on 8 October 1991, the Croatian Parliament severed all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. In 1992, the countries of the European Economic Community granted Croatia diplomatic recognition and Croatia was admitted to the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Serbia (1992–2006)</span> State of the FR Yugoslavia then Serbia and Montenegro

The Republic of Serbia was a constituent state of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between 1992 and 2003 and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. With Montenegro's secession from the union with Serbia in June 2006, both became sovereign states in their own right for the first time in nearly 88 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo–Serbia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Kosovo unilaterally self proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008, a move which Serbia strongly rejects. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. However, differences and disputes remain, while North Kosovo is partially under Serbian rule. Initially there were no relations between the two; but in the following years there has been increased dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

Twelve national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2012. On 11 March voters across the country were asked five questions on employment leave, second houses, building society savings, the Fixed Book Price Agreement and gambling revenues. On 17 June there were three questions on healthcare, foreign policy and home buying. On 23 September there were three on a smoking ban, secure housing in old age and music lessons at school. A final referendum was held on 25 November on the Animal Diseases Act.

An advisory referendum on accepting the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo was held in the Serb-dominated regions of North Kosovo on 14 and 15 February 2012. The referendum was held in Zubin Potok, Zvečan and Mitrovica on both days, while Leposavić voted on 15 February. The voting ran from 7:00 to 19:00 on both days. The result saw 99.74% of voters reject the writ of the Republic of Kosovo's institutions. The poll was rejected by the governments of both Serbia and Kosovo.

An independence referendum was held in Kosovo, then known as the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo between 26 and 30 September 1991. The Provincial Assembly, which had been dissolved in 1989 by Serbian authorities but whose Albanian members continued to meet underground, declared the Republic of Kosova a sovereign and independent state on 22 September 1991. Over 99% of voters voted in favour of independence, with a turnout of 87%. The referendum was boycotted by Serbs living in the region, who comprised around 10% of the population.

A substantial emigration from Kosovo has taken place in various phases during the second half of the 20th century. It is estimated that about a third of people born in Kosovo currently live outside Kosovo. Emigration has taken place in separate waves motivated mainly by economic reasons, but also as a result of the Kosovo War. The Kosovo diaspora is usually included in the wider Albanian diaspora with Albanians from Albania and North Macedonia.

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This article summarises referendum laws and practice in various countries.

The Crimean status referendum of 2014 was a disputed referendum on March 16, 2014, concerning the status of Crimea that was conducted in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol after Russian forces seized control of Crimea.

Several referendums have been held in Republika Srpska during its existence, whilst others have been proposed but not happened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Serbian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Serbia on 16 January 2022, in which voters decided on changing the Constitution in the part related to the judiciary.

A referendum on the dismissal of four ethnic Albanian mayors of municipalities in Kosovo was held on 21 April 2024, in the region of North Kosovo with a majority Serb population. The municipalities where the referendum for the replacement of the mayor will be held are: Zubin Potok, Zvečan, Leposavić, and North Mitrovica. For the referendum to succeed, a majority of registered voters must vote for the replacement of the mayor in each municipality. The referendum comes after a petition organized by citizens of municipalities in the north for the removal of 4 mayors in the north. It was officially held, having been approved by Kosovo's Central Electoral Commission.

References