The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - a paradigm of the paralyzed system Cover Image

Савезна Република Југославија - парадигма паралисаног система
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - a paradigm of the paralyzed system

Author(s): Balša Delibašić
Subject(s): Politics, Governance, Political economy, Inter-Ethnic Relations
Published by: Центар за хуманистичке науке »Синтезис«
Keywords: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; two-unit federations; federalism; Federal Constitutional Court; constitutionalism; coalitions; Serbia and Montenegro;

Summary/Abstract: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has suffered the same fate as all other two-unit federations. The purpose of its creation was the desire of the state authorities in Belgrade to keep the continuity of the former state. In the negotiation process, each republic (i.e. party that was in power), wanted to create out of the federation what was most needed at the time. In the analysis of the political life of the federation, it can be seen two five-year periods. The first is the period that starts with its for-mation and lasts until the split in the Montenegrin ruling party. The main characteristic of that period was the paralysis of the federal system. There were almost no federal institutions that successfully performed its role during this period. The reason wasn’t only the powerlessness of these authorities to constitute and establish its authority, but also the obstruction of the authorities. The second period that can be identified starts with the beginning of the breaking of the federal coalition and lasts until the end of the federal state itself. When the Federal Constitutional Court appeared as a political ac-tor with the intention to resolve an intense electoral dispute in the smaller Republic, the constitution-al agreement on which the state rested: “there is no federal interference in the republic’s affairs” - was disrupted. The demolition of the constitutional/coalition agreement also meant the demolition of the entire state.

  • Issue Year: VII/2015
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 21-55
  • Page Count: 35
  • Language: Serbian