Yugoslav Federal Republic

Yugoslavia (,, , , , and : Југославија ), officially the Yugoslav Federal Republic (: Југословенска Савезна Република ; : Југословенска Федеративна Република ; : Југословенске Савезне Републике ; : Југословенската Сојузна Република ; : Југослованско Федеративно Републико ; : Југославенска Савезна Република ), is a country in the Balkans region of southeast Europa. The Yugoslav Federal Republic is a federal semi-presidential republic composed of six autonomous and self-governing Republics, namely Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia; and the Federation is a member of the European Community. The seat of the Federal government is the city of Kovilovo, a federal city that, as per the Federal Constitution, is wholly subordinated to the Yugoslav Federal Parliament.

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Etymology
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History
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Politics
Politics in the Yugoslav Federal Republic take place under the framework of a constitutional federal semi-presidential republic in which the President of the Yugoslav Federal Republic is the head of the Federal state and the Prime Minister of the Yugoslav Federal Republic is the head of the Federal government; and the sovereignty of the Federation is vested exclusively in the People (Citizens) of the six Yugoslav Republics &mdash;and in like Manner, the sovereignty of each Republic is vested solely in the People (Citizens) thereof. In the Yugoslav Federal Republic and in each of the six Republics, Government is conducted by Majority rule, but a Majority rule that is tempered by Minority rights; and every Person is guaranteed the equal protection of the law throughout the Federation.

Suffrage is a constitutional right guaranteed to all Yugoslav and Republic citizens eighteen Years of age and up; however, this right, among others, may be suspended or revoked by Court order upon conviction for treason, insurrection, or other felony offense.

Constitution
In 1989, with the fall of communism, the leaders of the five republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Macedonia unanimously demanded reform of the federal Constitution. Among their demands were equal representation of the republics in the upper house of a revitalized federal Parliament. Opposed wholeheartedly to these demands was Serbia, which saw this as a threat to its leading position within the Yugoslav federation. However, the leadership of the other five republics told the Serbian leadership, in no uncertain terms, that if their demands were not met that they would all initiate proceedings to secede and chart their own paths. Noting the seriousness of the situation, the Serbian government proposed a constitutional convention with the number of delegates from each republic being based partly on population, weighted in a similar manner as utilized in the United States by their Electoral College. The proposal was accepted by the other republics in 1991 and all delegates were chosen by the late summer of that year.

First meeting in Split, Croatia, on 16 August 1991, the Constitutional Convention began the process of drafting a revised federal Constitution for a new Yugoslavia. Throughout the rest of the year, the Convention met in various cities in each republic, open to the public and with time reserve for public comment. By the waning days of April 1992, all draft provisions were approved by the Convention. What they created was more than a mere revision of the 1973 Constitution of the SFRJ, it was a complete rewrite that shifted the Federation from a Marxist people's democracy to a semi-presidential/parliamentary federal republic, in which elections would be free, by secret ballot, and contested in a multi-party system; in which legislative power would be vested in a bicameral Yugoslav Federal Parliament, consisting of a Yugoslav Federal Senate and Yugoslav Federal Assembly, and in the executive federal government; in which the lower house of the federal Parliament was to be elected in each republic in proportion to population, and this chamber would be called the “Yugoslav Federal Assembly”; in which the upper house would be by equal representation from each republic (six Senators from each Republic), and this chamber would go by the name, “Yugoslav Federal Senate”, with each Senator serving during the same term as the government that appointed him; in which the federal head of state would be elected by both houses of the federal Parliament in joint session, to a term of seven years, and this official would be styled, “President of the Yugoslav Federal Republic”; in which the federal head of government, styled, “Prime Minister of the Yugoslav Federal Republic”, who would be a person appointed from the either the Federal Senate and Federal Assembly by the President who would appear to the President to be the most likely to secure the confidence of both the Federal Senate and Federal Assembly, and the Prime Minister would serve at the pleasure of the President and with the confidence of the Federal Senate and Federal Assembly, but nominally no more than four years at a time; in which the power of the executive federal government, the Yugoslav Federal Government, would be divided between the President and Prime Minister, with some parts of Government reporting to the President and others to the Prime Minister; in which the federal judiciary would be independent of both the Parliament and Government, and topped by a Yugoslav Federal Court of Appeal composed of seven justices: the chief justice appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Federal Senate, and the remaining six appointed in and from each republic by the republic president by and with the advice and consent of the republic senate; and in which the rights of the individual would be protected by all levels of government as their highest priority.

After being adopted by the Convention, by the terms of the draft Constitution, it was to be submitted to a referendum in each republic, and would only be considered to be adopted and subsequently enter into force upon the approval in each republic by a majority of the electorate voting on the matter. The proposed Constitution was submitted for an up or down vote of the people on 12 December 1992, and after all the ballots were counted, the results were certified and proclaimed on 21 December that it was the will of the people that the proposed Constitution be adopted. By the terms of the now-adopted Constitution, it was to enter into force on the day on which it was proclaimed to be adopted.

Federalism
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Intergovernmentalism
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Government
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Federation
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All executive Power delegated to the Federation is vested in the Yugoslav Federal Government, which is composed of the President, the Prime Minister, and Federal ministers. Executive power is divided between the President and the Prime Minister, in which the Federal ministries of foreign affairs, intergovernmental affairs, defense, emergency situations, internal affairs, and justice report to the President, while the Federal ministries of finance, economic development, trade and industry, labor and social affairs, and transport report to the Prime Minister; and the Prime Minister and Federal Ministers are responsible for their work, both individually and collectively, to the Yugoslav Federal Parliament, which may remove the Government or individual ministers from office upon a vote of no confidence by both Houses of the Federal Parliament. As required by the Federal Constitution, the President is responsible for forming the Federal Government’s general policy agenda, which the Federal Government is responsible for implementing.

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Republics
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Local government
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Foreign and intergovernmental affairs
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Military and civil defense
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Public safety and homeland security
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Law enforcement
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Criminal justice system
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National security
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Geography
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Member States
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Climate
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Environment
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Geology
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Seismicity
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Economy
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Demographics
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Education
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Culture
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Visual arts
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Theatre
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Music
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Architecture
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Sport
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Fashion
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Cuisine
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