Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
Country | Date of transition | Remarks |
---|---|---|
Netherlands | 26 July 1581 | The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands declared its independence from King Philip II of Spain on 26 July 1581 with the Act of Abjuration, and became the Batavian Republic in 1795. The Kingdom of Holland was formed on 5 June 1806. |
Switzerland | 24 October 1648 | Switzerland became independent from the Holy Roman Empire by the Treaty of Westphalia |
England | 19 May 1649 | The Commonwealth of England, later known as the Protectorate, was established on 19 May 1649 following the execution of King Charles I. At its height, it ruled over all the British Isles. The monarchy was restored on 29 May 1660. |
United States | 4 July 1776 | Went de facto independent from Great Britain with adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence |
Paraguay | 15 May 1811 | Independence from Spain[ dubious – discuss ] |
Argentina | 9 July 1816 | Independence won from the Spanish Empire. Republican governments established from 1811 onwards. Republican constitutions of 1819 and 1826 led to the adoption of the 1853 text |
Chile | 12 February 1818 | Independence declared from the Spanish Empire. Between 1810 and 1814 there were Republican governments although nominally remained loyal to the Spanish monarchy. In 1817 there was re-established the independentist government and established a republican system in different constitutional texts. |
Venezuela | 15 August 1819 | Venezuelan constitution of 1819 adopted |
Colombia | 17 December 1819 | Republic of Colombia declared during Congress of Angostura |
Panama | ||
Ecuador | 24 May 1822 | Incorporated into Republic of Colombia, end of Royal Audiencia of Quito |
Costa Rica | 1 July 1823 | Independence of United Provinces of Central America |
El Salvador | ||
Guatemala | ||
Honduras | ||
Nicaragua | ||
Peru | 9 December 1824 | Treaty signed after Battle of Ayacucho |
Bolivia | 6 August 1825 | Constitutional congress declared Bolivia a republic |
Uruguay | 4 October 1828 | Ratification of Treaty of Montevideo |
Liberia | 26 July 1847 | Independent Republic of Liberia created |
Haiti | 15 January 1859 | Abdication of Emperor Faustin |
Dominican Republic | 25 March 1865 | Adoption of new constitution near end of Dominican Restoration War |
Mexico | 15 July 1867 | Emperor Maxmilian executed; Federal Republic officially restored |
France | 4 September 1870 | Emperor Napoleon III deposed and French Third Republic proclaimed as a result of the Franco-Prussian War |
Algeria | Republican government instituted when French mother country became a republic | |
Ivory Coast | ||
Mauritania | ||
Senegal | ||
Brazil | 15 November 1889 | Emperor Pedro II deposed and Brazilian Republic proclaimed by Marshall Deodoro da Fonseca |
Hawaii | 4 July 1894 | Queen Liliʻuokalani deposed and republic proclaimed following a provisional government |
Madagascar | 28 February 1897 | End of Merina Kingdom |
Philippines | 23 January 1899 | First Philippine Republic. [a] |
Cuba | 11 April 1899 | Official end of Spanish–American War |
Portugal | 5 October 1910 | King Manuel II deposed and Portuguese First Republic proclaimed as a result of the 1910 revolution |
Angola | Republican government instituted when Portuguese mother country became a republic | |
Cape Verde | ||
East Timor | ||
Guinea-Bissau | ||
Mozambique | ||
São Tomé and Príncipe | ||
China | 10 October 1911 | Republic of China (ROC) proclaimed as a result of the Xinhai Revolution. The ROC was initially in control of mainland China but later relocated to Taiwan. It is now commonly known as "Taiwan". The People's Republic of China was proclaimed on 1 October 1949 and is now in control of mainland China. It is commonly known as "China". |
Comoros | 1912 | End of last of indigenous sultanates |
Armenia | 14 September 1917 | Emperor Nicholas II of Russia abdicated as a result of the February Revolution and Russia was proclaimed a republic |
Belarus | ||
Estonia | ||
Georgia | ||
Kazakhstan | ||
Kyrgyzstan | ||
Latvia | ||
Russia | ||
Ukraine | ||
Czech Republic | 18 October 1918 | Czechoslovak Republic proclaimed |
Slovakia | ||
Lithuania | 2 November 1918 | King Mindaugas II deposed and Republic of Lithuania proclaimed |
Germany | 9 November 1918 | Emperor William II abdicated as a result of the German Revolution |
Austria | 12 November 1918 | Republic of German Austria proclaimed following the dethronement of Emperor Charles |
Poland | 14 November 1918 | Power transferred from the Regency Council to Chief of State Józef Piłsudski |
Finland | 17 July 1919 | Constitution Act or Instrument of Government: Finland became a republic |
Turkmenistan | 26 April 1920 | Khan Sayid Abdullah deposed and Khorezm People's Soviet Republic proclaimed |
Lebanon | 23 July 1920 | French Mandate of Syria established after the Battle of Maysalun |
Syria | ||
Tajikistan | 8 October 1920 | Emir Mohammed Alim Khan deposed and Bukharan People's Republic proclaimed |
Uzbekistan | ||
Togo | 20 July 1922 | Formal beginning of French Togoland League of Nations Mandate |
Turkey | 29 October 1923 | Republic of Turkey was proclaimed after the Turkish War of Independence, succeeding the Ottoman Empire |
Mongolia | 26 November 1924 | Mongolian People's Republic proclaimed. Now the date is celebrated as 'Republic Day' Public holidays in Mongolia |
Spain | 14 April 1931 | The Second Spanish Republic came to power on 14 April 1931 following the economic crisis caused by the 1929 Wall Street Crash. The Republic lost power after the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco then led Spain until his death on 20 November 1975 when democracy, along with the monarchy, was restored. |
Moldova | 2 August 1940 | Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed following the annexation of Romanian Moldavia by the Soviet Union |
Iceland | 17 June 1944 | Republic of Iceland established after a referendum |
North Korea | 15 August 1945 | Korea liberated from Japan and the People's Republic of Korea established, divided into North Korea and South Korea a month later. |
South Korea | ||
Indonesia | 17 August 1945 | Republic of Indonesia's proclamation of independence triggering the Indonesian National Revolution |
Vietnam | 25 August 1945 | Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed |
Taiwan | 25 October 1945 | Taiwan and Penghu Islands transferred to the Republic of China. Since 1949, the ROC only controls Taiwan and the surrounding islands. |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 29 November 1945 | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed while King Peter II was in exile |
Croatia | ||
North Macedonia | ||
Montenegro | ||
Serbia | ||
Slovenia | ||
Albania | 1 January 1946 | People's Republic of Albania proclaimed while King Zog was in exile |
Hungary | 1 February 1946 | Second Hungarian Republic proclaimed |
Italy | 2 June 1946 | King Umberto II renounced the throne and the Italian Republic was established after a referendum |
Bulgaria | 15 September 1946 | Tsar Simeon II deposed and People's Republic of Bulgaria proclaimed after a referendum |
Marshall Islands | 18 July 1947 | end of South Pacific Mandate and beginning of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |
Micronesia | ||
Palau | ||
Romania | 30 December 1947 | King Michael abdicated and the People's Republic of Romania was proclaimed |
Myanmar | 4 January 1948 | Burmese independence declared |
Israel | 14 May 1948 | State of Israel proclaimed |
Ireland | 18 April 1949 | Republic of Ireland Act came into force |
India | 26 January 1950 | Constitution of India came into effect |
Egypt | 18 June 1953 | Republic proclaimed after revolution in 1952 |
South Sudan | 1 January 1956 | Independence of Republic of Sudan |
Sudan | ||
Pakistan | 23 March 1956 | Constitution of Pakistan came into effect and Governor General Iskander Mirza became president. Three coups in 1958 Pakistani coup d'état, 1977 and in 1999 respectively before restoration of civil electorate in 2008. |
Tunisia | 25 July 1957 | King Muhammad VIII al-Amin deposed |
Iraq | 14 July 1958 | Faisal II deposed/killed in 14 July Revolution |
Somalia | 26 June 1960 | Independence of State of Somaliland, which was united with the Trust Territory of Somalia on 1 July to form the Somali Republic |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | 30 June 1960 | Gained independence as a republic |
Ghana | 1 July 1960 | Constitutional change after referendum on 27 April |
Cyprus | 16 August 1960 | Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus adopted |
South Africa | 31 May 1961 | Republican constitution adopted |
Cameroon | 1 October 1961 | End of British Trusteeship in Southern Cameroons, union with rest of Cameroon |
Rwanda | 1 July 1962 | Independence as a republic following monarchy referendum in 1961 |
Yemen | 27 September 1962 | King Muhammad al-Badr deposed and Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) proclaimed |
Tanganyika | 9 December 1962 | Republican constitution adopted |
Nigeria | 1 October 1963 | Constitutional amendment |
Uganda | 9 October 1963 | Constitutional amendment |
Zanzibar | 12 January 1964 | Sultanate overthrown in Zanzibar Revolution |
Zambia | 24 October 1964 | Gained independence as a republic |
Kenya | 12 December 1964 | Republican constitution adopted |
Singapore | 9 August 1965 | Ousted from the Federation of Malaysia |
Malawi | 6 July 1966 | Republican constitution adopted |
Botswana | 30 September 1966 | Gained independence as a republic |
Burundi | 28 November 1966 | Republic declared after army coup d'état |
South Yemen | 30 November 1967 | Independence of People's Republic of South Yemen |
Nauru | 31 January 1968 | Gained independence as a republic |
Equatorial Guinea | 12 October 1968 | Gained independence as a republic |
Maldives | 11 November 1968 | Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi deposed and Maldivian Second Republic established after a referendum |
Libya | 1 September 1969 | King Idris I deposed by Muammar Gaddafi's coup d'état |
Guyana | 23 February 1970 | Co-operative Republic of Guyana proclaimed |
Cambodia | 18 March 1970 | The Khmer Republic (later known as Democratic Kampuchea, then the People's Republic of Kampuchea, and finally the State of Cambodia) was declared in 1970 when Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed. The monarchy was restored in 1993. |
The Gambia | 24 April 1970 | Republic proclaimed following constitutional referendum |
Sierra Leone | 19 April 1971 | Republican constitution adopted |
Sri Lanka | 22 May 1972 | Sri Lankan constitution adopted |
Bangladesh | 16 December 1972 | Constitution came into effect after a year of formation of state in 1972. Three coups followed in 1975 and 1982. |
Afghanistan | 17 July 1973 | King Mohammed Zahir Shah abdicated after Mohammed Daoud Khan's coup d'état |
Greece | 8 December 1974 | Final abolition of monarchy; referendum |
Malta | 13 December 1974 | Republic of Malta proclaimed |
Eritrea | 21 March 1975 | Monarchy of Ethiopian Empire finally abolished |
Ethiopia | ||
Suriname | 25 November 1975 | Gained independence as a republic |
Laos | 2 December 1975 | King Savang Vatthana abdicated as a result of a communist revolution |
Seychelles | 29 June 1976 | Gained independence as a republic |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1 August 1976 | Republican constitution adopted |
Dominica | 3 November 1978 | Gained independence as a republic |
Iran | 11 February 1979 | Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi deposed and Islamic Republic of Iran (a theocratic republic) proclaimed as a result of the Iranian Revolution |
Kiribati | 12 July 1979 | Gained independence as a republic |
Central African Republic | 21 September 1979 | Emperor Bokassa I deposed in a coup d'état |
Zimbabwe | 17 April 1980 | Full independence of Zimbabwe |
Fiji | 6 October 1987 | Fiji Republic proclaimed as a result of the coup d'état of Sitiveni Rabuka |
Mauritius | 12 March 1992 | Republic of Mauritius proclaimed as a result of constitutional changes |
Samoa | 11 May 2007 | Upon the death of Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoa changed to a parliamentary republic. |
Nepal | 28 May 2008 | Abolition of monarchy |
Barbados | 30 November 2021 | Republic of Barbados to be declared effective 30 November 2021. |
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially called The day of establishment of Slovak republic.
After Yugoslavia fell apart, Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to stay with Serbia and Montenegro. Croats and Bosniaks, on the other hand, wanted to create an independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 9 January 1992, Bosnian Serb authorities declared the creation of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, now called Republika Srpska ("Serb Republic", not to be confused with the Republic of Serbia) as a state within the country of Bosnia of Herzegovina. Republika Srpska now celebrates Republic Day on the anniversary of the state's creation.
The Constitution of India came into force, and India declared itself a Republic on 26 January 1950, a day thereafter celebrated annually as Republic Day in India. The Constitution had been drafted by the Constituent Assembly headed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar which was set up when India gained its independence from the British in 1947. This, in fact, was a deliberate act: The 26 January was initially India's "Independence Day", one of Mahatma Gandhi's many symbolic acts during India's struggle for freedom against British colonial rule, and the adoption of the Constitution on this date was felt able to strengthen its initial meaning, one calling for Indians of all ages to declare their freedom from the British Raj by Mahatama Gandhi. It is one of three national holidays in India, the other two being the nation's Independence Day on 15 August (since 1947) and the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 2 October.
To mark this occasion, a grand parade is held near Kartavya Path, formerly Rajpath in New Delhi, the capital of India, beginning from Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), along the Kartavya path, formerly Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of the city. Different infantry, cavalry and mechanized regiments of the Indian Army, the Indian Marines and the Indian Air Force march in formation, decked in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. The Chief Guest of the parade is the Head of State or Head of Government of another nation. The parade also includes many traditional dance troupes, to symbolize the cultural heritage of India. It traditionally ends with a colourful flypast by Indian Air Force jets in a tiranga formation. Similar parades are held in the capitals of all the states of India, where the Governors of the respective states take the salute. The official conclusion of republic day festivities is much later on 30 January, four days after the Republic day.
On 1 February 1946 Hungary commemorates the proclamation of the Republic of Hungary. Since 2004, this day is a national commemoration day, without being a public or national Holiday.
In Pakistan this day marks the passing of the Lahore Resolution. Republic Day of Pakistan was first observed in 1956 when Pakistan officially became a Republic and shunned the former status of Dominion. The main events of this day include a full military parade and the awarding of honours at the Presidency (Presidential Palace) by the president. Every year, on 23 March, the Pakistani people commemorate their National Day in remembrance of "The Pakistan Resolution" passed on 23 March 1940, in the historic city of Lahore which is also the day the country was declared a republic.
On 28 May 1918 Armenia and Nepal Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, thus forming the Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Nepal Democratic Republic. These were the first sovereign republics in the history of both countries and Nepal was the first democratic parliamentary republic only achieved consistency after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
A decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal in 2006, culminated in a peace accord and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic on 28 May 2008.
Between 1961 and 1994, 31 May was celebrated in South Africa as Republic Day. This practice was discontinued in 1995 following the attainment of majority rule and the reorganisation of public holidays as a consequence. On the last Republic Day, in 1994, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations.
An institutional referendum (Italian : referendum istituzionale, or referendum sulla forma istituzionale dello Stato) [1] [2] [3] was held by universal suffrage in the Kingdom of Italy on 2 June 1946, [4] a key event of contemporary Italian history. Until 1946, Italy was a kingdom ruled by the House of Savoy, reigning since the unification of Italy in 1861 and previously rulers of the Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1922, the rise of Benito Mussolini and the creation of the Fascist regime in Italy, which eventually resulted in engaging the country in World War II alongside Nazi Germany, considerably weakened the role of the royal house.
Following the Italian Civil War and the Liberation of Italy from Axis troops in 1945, a popular referendum on the institutional form of the state was called the next year and resulted in voters choosing the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. The 1946 Italian general election to elect the Constituent Assembly of Italy was held on the same day. [5] As with the simultaneous Constituent Assembly elections, the referendum was not held in the Julian March, in the province of Zara or the province of Bolzano, which were still under occupation by Allied forces pending a final settlement of the status of the territories.
The results were proclaimed by the Supreme Court of Cassation on 10 June 1946: 12,717,923 citizens in favor of the republic and 10,719,284 citizens in favor of the monarchy. [6] The event is commemorated annually by the Festa della Repubblica . The former King Umberto II voluntarily left the country on 13 June 1946, headed for Cascais, in southern Portugal, without even waiting for the results to be defined and the ruling on the appeals presented by the monarchist party, which were rejected by the Supreme Court of Cassation on 18 June 1946. With the entry into force of the new Constitution of the Italian Republic, on 1 January 1948, Enrico De Nicola became the first to assume the functions of president of Italy. It was the first time that the whole Italian Peninsula (excluding Vatican City) was under a form of republican governance since the end of the ancient Roman Republic.
Ghana's republican day.
4 July 1946 is the Philippines' Republic Day.
14 July 1958 is the day the Hashemite monarchy was overthrown in Iraq by popular forces led by Abdul Karim Kassem, who became the nation's new leader. The event was commemorated in Baghdad with a statue in 14 July Square.
It's the day the monarchy was abolished by the National Assembly and Republic was proclaimed. Habib Bourguiba was chosen to be the first President.
On the 2nd of September 1990, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR was proclaimed, declaring independence from the Moldavian SSR. It is now celebrated as Republic Day, despite the fact Transnistria declared independence from the USSR completely 11 months later on the 25th.
5 October in Portugal is known as Implantação da República. It celebrates the proclamation of the Portuguese First Republic in 1910.
10 October in Taiwan is a national holiday commemorating the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911, the symbolic start of the Chinese revolution with the Wuchang uprising. It is also known as the Double Ten Day.
Although the government of Ian Smith declared Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) a republic on 2 March 1970, it was officially commemorated on 24 October. Following independence in 1980, the holiday was abolished.
In the waning days of Soviet rule, individual republics of the Soviet Union sought greater autonomy. The Soviet Union agreed in early 1990 to give up its monopoly of political power. Following the lead of Lithuanian SSR, Russian SFSR and others, Kazakh SSR declared its sovereignty on 25 October 1990, and Kazakhstan subsequently became independent on 16 December 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. 25 October, the anniversary of the adoption of the "Declaration on State Sovereignty of Kazakh SSR" by the Kazakh legislature in 1990, is now commemorated as Republic Day (Kazakh : Республика күні, romanized: Respwblïka küni), a public holiday in Kazakhstan.
On 29 October 1923, the Turkish constitution was amended and Turkey became a republic. This formally declared the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Republic Day (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Bayramı) is celebrated throughout Turkey and Northern Cyprus every year. Commemorative events usually begin in the afternoon on the previous day. In observance of the holiday, government offices and schools close for a day. Also, there are fireworks shows in all cities of Turkey.That day everyone commemorates Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
On 11 November 1968, Maldives the then existing monarchy was abolished and replaced by a republic.
On 15 November 1889, in the city of Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at that time), a military coup led by Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca overthrew Emperor Pedro II and declared Brazil a republic.
On 29 November 1943 the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) established the foundations of post-war Yugoslavia as a socialist republic, which was officially proclaimed on the same date in 1945. Republic Day (local name: Dan Republike or Дан Републике) marked the occasion two consecutive days, 29 and 30 November, and was likely the most important holiday (the other two-day holidays were New Year and May Day).
In elementary schools first graders were inducted into the Union of Pioneers on or around Republic Day. Employees merged the holiday with weekends and extra days off to form 3-, 4- or even 5-day weekends. Urban dwellers took the occasion to visit their relatives in the country, who marked the event with pig slaughter and the ensuing feast.
In the 1980s, as central and Communist Party authority eroded, dissenters targeted Republic Day celebrations for criticism. In 1987, Bosnian garage rock band Zabranjeno pušenje published a song entitled Dan Republike, in which they criticized the state of the economy and protested the general indifference to the ideals behind the holiday. The band had to change some of the lyrics before being allowed to air the song.
In 1989, Slovenia and Croatia were the first federal republics to cease observing the holiday. Other seceded republics followed suit as Yugoslavia dissolved. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia kept the holiday until 2002.
The date "29.XI.1943" featured prominently on the Yugoslav coat of arms.
This day is celebrated as both Independence Day and Republic Day, as on 30 November 2021, Barbados was declared as a Republic within the Commonwealth. Dame Sandra Mason, the last Governor-General of Barbados was installed as the first President of Barbados.
On 13 December 1974, the constitution of Malta was substantially revised, transforming the former British colony from a Commonwealth Realm into a republic within the Commonwealth. The British Monarch ceased to be recognised as Reġina ta' Malta (Queen of Malta) and the new Head of State was President Sir Anthony Mamo. This occasion is marked every year as Republic Day (Maltese: Jum ir-Repubblika) in Malta. The monument of Republic Day is at Marsa.
18 December 1958 is commemorated in the Republic of Niger as Republic Day, the national holiday. Although not the date of formal, complete independence from France, 18 December marks the founding of the Republic and creation of the Presidency of the Republic of Niger, following the constitutional changes of the French Fifth Republic, and the elections of 4 December 1958 held across The French Colonial possessions. Nigeriens consider this date to be the founding of their nation. Between 18 December 1958 and 5 August 1964, Niger remained a semi-autonomous Republic within the French Community.
The 16th is celebrated in Niger with official festivals and appearances of political leaders, as well as public parties and festivities. The 50th anniversary celebrations were held in 2006, centered not in the capitol, but in the regional center of Tillabéry, and surrounded by sports, musical and arts competitions, the opening of new buildings, a National Youth Festival, and other public festivities. [7]
Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies in that they are bound to exercise powers and authorities within limits prescribed by an established legal framework.
Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992. It came into existence following World War I, under the name of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from the merger of the Kingdom of Serbia with the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and constituted the first union of South Slavic peoples as a sovereign state, following centuries of foreign rule over the region under the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy. Peter I of Serbia was its first sovereign. The kingdom gained international recognition on 13 July 1922 at the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris. The official name of the state was changed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 3 October 1929.
An institutional referendum was held by universal suffrage in the Kingdom of Italy on 2 June 1946, a key event of contemporary Italian history. Until 1946, Italy was a kingdom ruled by the House of Savoy, reigning since the unification of Italy in 1861 and previously rulers of the Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1922, the rise of Benito Mussolini and the creation of the Fascist regime in Italy, which eventually resulted in engaging the country in World War II alongside Nazi Germany, considerably weakened the role of the royal house.
The abolition of monarchy is a legislative or revolutionary movement to abolish monarchical elements in government, usually hereditary. The abolition of an absolute monarchy in favour of limited government under a constitutional monarchy is a less radical form of anti-monarchism that has succeeded in some nations that still retain monarchs, such as Sweden, Spain, and Thailand.
A unitary state is a state or sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions. Such units exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. Although political power may be delegated through devolution to regional or local governments by statute, the central government may alter the statute, to override the decisions of devolved governments or expand their powers. The modern unitary state concept originated in France; in the aftermath of the Hundred Years' War, national feelings that emerged from the war unified France. The war accelerated the process of transforming France from a feudal monarchy to a unitary state. The French then later spread unitary states by conquests, throughout Europe during and after the Napoleonic Wars, and to the world through the vast French colonial empire.
A constituent assembly is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected by popular vote, drawn by sortition, appointed, or some combination of these methods. Assemblies are typically considered distinct from a regular legislature, although members of the legislature may compose a significant number or all of its members. As the fundamental document constituting a state, a constitution cannot normally be modified or amended by the state's normal legislative procedures in some jurisdictions; instead a constitutional convention or a constituent assembly, the rules for which are normally laid down in the constitution, must be set up. A constituent assembly is usually set up for its specific purpose, which it carries out in a relatively short time, after which the assembly is dissolved. A constituent assembly is a form of representative democracy.
A multinational state or a multinational union is a sovereign entity that comprises two or more nations or states. This contrasts with a nation state, where a single nation accounts for the bulk of the population. Depending on the definition of "nation", a multinational state is usually multicultural or multilingual, and is geographically composed of more than one country, such as the countries of the United Kingdom.
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.
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly referred to as Socialist Bosnia or simply Bosnia, was one of the six constituent federal states forming the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was a predecessor of the modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, existing between 1945 and 1992, under a number of different formal names, including Democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina (1943–1946) and People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1946–1963).
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature. There are a number of variations of parliamentary republics. Most have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the head of government holding real power and the head of state being a ceremonial position, similar to constitutional monarchies. In some countries the head of state has reserve powers to use at their discretion as a non-partisan "referee" of the political process. Some have combined the roles of head of state and head of government, much like presidential systems, but with a dependency upon parliamentary confidence.
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.
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.
The Republic of Montenegro was a constituent federated state of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and then Serbia and Montenegro between 1992 and 2006. The declaration of independence of Montenegro in 2006 ended the ex-Yugoslav state. After the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), the remaining republics of Montenegro and Serbia agreed to the formation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) which officially abandoned communism and nominally endorsed democratic institutions. Montenegro was a constituent republic of the FRY and its successor state until June 2006 when Montenegro declared independence from Serbia and Montenegro following the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum.
Festa della Repubblica is the Italian National Day and Republic Day, which is celebrated on 2 June each year, with the main celebration taking place in Rome. The Festa della Repubblica is one of the national symbols of Italy.
An independence referendum was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 29 February and 1 March 1992, following the first free elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that eventually led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Independence was strongly favored by Bosniak and Bosnian Croat voters while Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum or were prevented from participating by Bosnian Serb authorities.
Independence Day is a public holiday observed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 March to celebrate the independence of the then Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.
Republic Day is a national holiday in Nepal. It commemorates the date on which the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal took place on 28 May 2008, which ended the 240-year reign of the Shah kings and declared Nepal a republic. The establishment of the republic put an end to the civil war that lasted for almost a decade. According to the Nepali calendar, the republic day is marked on Jestha 15 every year. Celebrations include a military parade in Kathmandu and several small-scale programs organised by various government agencies across the country.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, 1 March 1992, a Serb wedding procession in Sarajevo's old Muslim quarter of Baščaršija was attacked, resulting in the death of the father of the groom, Nikola Gardović, and the wounding of a Serbian Orthodox priest. The attack took place on the last day of a controversial referendum on Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence from Yugoslavia, in the early stages of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Wars.