Montenegrin sovereignty
referendum, 1992

1 March 1992 (1992-03-01)
Are you in favor of Montenegro, as a sovereign republic, continuing to live in a common state – Yugoslavia, fully equal to other republics that wish the same? Montenegrin:Да ли сте за то да Црна Гора, као суверена република, настави да живи у заједничкој држави − Југославији, потпуно равноправно са другим републикама које то буду жељеле?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 266,273 96.82% No 8,755 3.18% Valid votes 275,028 98.80% Invalid or blank votes 3,354 1.20% Total votes 278,382 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 421,549 66.04%

The1992 Montenegrin sovereignty referendum was the firstreferendum regardingMontenegrin sovereignty, held on 1 March 1992 inSR Montenegro, a constituent republic of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.^[1]

The referendum was the outcome ofMontenegrin PresidentMomir Bulatović's decision to agree to the terms set byLord Carrington which were to transform Yugoslavia into a loose association of independent states that would have the status of subjects under international law. Bulatović's decision angered his ally, theSerbian PresidentSlobodan Milošević and the Serbian leadership, who added an amendment to the Carrington Plan that would allow states that did not wish to secede from Yugoslavia to establish a successor state.^[2]

421,549 citizens were registered voters.^[3] The question put to the electorate was, roughly translated:

Are you in favor of Montenegro, as a sovereign republic, continuing to live in a common state – Yugoslavia, fully equal to other republics that wish the same?^[4]

The electorate chose to remain withinYugoslavia. 95.96% of voters, which is 63.17% of the entire electorate, voted Yes, with a voter turnout of 66.04%.^[3] Importantly for understanding the result, pro-independence parties had their supporters boycott the vote.

As a result of this referendum, theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of two former constituent republics of the SFR Yugoslavia,Serbia and Montenegro, was established on 27 April 1992.^[5][6]

In early October 1991, Montenegrin forces and theYugoslav People's Army (JNA) began theSiege of Dubrovnik. The JNA's bombardment ofDubrovnik, including that of the Old Town — aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site — provoked international condemnation, and became a public relations disaster forSerbia and Montenegro, contributing to their diplomatic and economic isolation, as well as proving to be detrimental to Montenegro's internal stability and inter-ethnic relations within the republic.^[7]

Seeking a way out of the crisis, Montenegrin PresidentMomir Bulatović took a significant political gamble, which put him at odds both with his political mentors inBelgrade, Serbian nationalists in Montenegro, as well as many people in his own party. As theconflict in Croatia intensified, theEuropean Community organized a peace conference onYugoslavia inthe Hague chaired byLord Carrington, the formerBritish Foreign Secretary who had served inMargaret Thatcher’sfirst cabinet. The Carrington Plan envisaged a loose association of independent states that would have the status of subjects under international law.^[8]

While uniformity with the Serbian line was anticipated from the Montenegrin side, Bulatović unexpectedly agreed to the terms of the Carrington Plan during an overnight session of the Montenegrin parliament on 17 October 1991. He agreed to sign a draft of the plan andBorisav Jović was alerted the following day. According to Jović, Bulatović had the support of the thenItalian Foreign MinisterGianni De Michelis.^[9]

During the 24–25 October parliamentary sessions, the agreement was essentially ratified. However, thePeople's Party called for an emergency session of parliament, during which reactions to the plan were overwhelmingly negative. Bulatović and Prime MinisterMilo Đukanović, who supported him during the session, were decried as traitors by a series of speakers includingBranko Kostić, as well as Serbian state media andSlobodan Milošević. Unionist parties held demonstrations outside the parliament building.^[10]

Bulatović and Đukanović were called to Belgrade to attend a series of meetings with the Serbian leadership. Milošević tried to circumvent the perceived treason from the Montenegrin leadership by inserting a clause into the Carrington Plan that would allow any republic that wished to remain a part of Yugoslavia to do so. Faced with no consensus in Montenegro, the Montenegrin leadership backed down and agreed to Milošević's proposal. On 30 October 1991, Serbia and Montenegro proposed an amendment to the Carrington Plan that would allow states that did not wish to secede from Yugoslavia to establish a successor state. A referendum on the establishment of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia, which claimed legitimate continuity of theSFRY, would take place in Montenegro in March 1992.^[11]

In the run-up to the referendum, the two ruling parties in Serbia and Montenegro negotiated on the formation and distribution of power in thenew Yugoslavia, left with around 40% of the territory and population of the previous country.Montenegrin PresidentMomir Bulatović envisaged a confederal model with the common state possessing a single market, single currency, unitary monetary policy, a common foreign policy, albeit one that would permit separate consular representations, and a joint defense system that would allow some degree of autonomy.^[12]

The proposed principle of parity that Bulatović advocated was incrementally eroded in the aftermath of subsequent meetings between Bulatović andSerbian PresidentSlobodan Milošević. The Serbian political elite was consistently opposed to the idea of the equal status of Montenegro within the federation. Due to its influence over the ruling elite in Montenegro, its position ultimately prevailed.^[12]

The Montenegrin ruling elite, wishing to facilitate the rapid acceptance of the new state, adopted theLaw on Referendum, limiting public debate to a period of only seven days. The Montenegrin opposition argued against the undemocratic character of the referendum, staging demonstrations in Montenegrin towns and cities and attempting to persuade voters that there were alternatives to a close federation with Serbia. Throughout Montenegro, the rulingDemocratic Party of Socialists campaigned under the slogan "Yugoslavia without alternative", and simultaneously worked towards limiting the scope for public debate, disrupting the activities of the opposition and implicitly threatening individuals with the potential loss of their livelihoods.^[12]

The referendum was boycotted by opposition parties such as theLiberal Alliance of Montenegro,^[13] theSocial Democratic and Socialist Parties,^[14] as well as minority parties such as theDemocratic League in Montenegro,^[15] leading to a relatively low turnout of 66%.^[13]

Registered Voters: 421,549^[3]

• Total: 278,382 (66.04%)
  • Yes votes: 266,273 (95.96%)
  • No votes: 8,755 (3.14%)

Source: Centre for Monitoring^[3]

A new constitution forming theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia came into effect on 27 April 1992.^[5] The Montenegrin opposition would refer to the new constitution scornfully as the "Žabljak Constitution" after the mountain resort in Montenegro where the two leaderships had met to create the new state. Its core argument was that the FRY was an unequal construction that would simply become dysfunctional, due to the fact that it was made up of two federal units of disproportionate size, population, and economic interests. Such a situation prompted even those within the rulingDPS, such as the thenMontenegrin Foreign MinisterMiodrag Lekić, to argue that within the FRY structure Montenegrin interests were insufficiently protected.^[6]

Angered byMomir Bulatović's intention to agree toLord Carrington's plan in October 1991, as well as his request that a special session of the Montenegrin Assembly should be called to discuss the possibility of another referendum, the rulingSocialist Party of Serbia (SPS) supported Bulatović's opponent in the1992 presidential election,Branko Kostić. During the election campaign, Bulatović sought to continue to strike a balance between Montenegro’s political poles ofunionism andnationalism, arguing in favor of Montenegrin autonomy and equality with Serbia within the FRY framework. Kostić presented himself as a "Greater Serb", aligning himself directly withSlobodan Milošević and the policy of the SPS. The DPS triumphed in the concurrent parliamentary election, andMilo Đukanović continued to serve asPrime Minister of Montenegro, eventually straying further still from the policies advocated by the Serbian leadership.^[16]

• Breakup of Yugoslavia
• 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum

• Morrison, Kenneth (2009).Montenegro: A Modern History. I.B. Tauris.ISBN 978-1845117108.

• (in German)Montenegro (Jugoslawien), 1. März 1992 : Verbleib im jugoslawischen Staatsverband at Database and Search Engine for Direct Democracy

• 1992 in international relations
• 1992 in Montenegro
• 1992 referendums
• Sovereignty referendums
• March 1992 in Europe
• Montenegro–Serbia relations
• Politics of Montenegro
• Referendums in Montenegro
• Referendums in Yugoslavia
• Breakup of Yugoslavia

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