Ante Marković | |
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.jpg) Marković in 1990 | |
| 27thPrime Minister of Yugoslavia President of theFederal Executive Council | |
| In office 16 March 1989 – 20 December 1991 | |
| President |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Branko Mikulić |
| Succeeded by |
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| Vice-President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia | |
| In office 10 May 1988 – 16 March 1989 | |
| President | Ivo Latin |
| Preceded by | Ivo Latin |
| President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia | |
| In office 10 May 1986 – 10 May 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Antun Milović |
| Preceded by | Ema Derossi-Bjelajac |
| Succeeded by | Ivo Latin |
| President of the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Croatia | |
| In office 10 May[citation needed] 1982 – 10 May 1986 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Petar Fleković |
| Succeeded by | Antun Milović |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-11-25)25 November 1924 |
| Died | 28 November 2011(2011-11-28) (aged 87) |
| Nationality | Croat |
| Political party |
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| Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
Ante Marković[a] (25 November 1924 – 28 November 2011)[1][2] was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, businessman and engineer. He is most notable for having served as the lastPrime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1991.[3]
Marković, was aBosnian Croat, born inKonjic, then a part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, presently inBosnia and Herzegovina to a poor peasant family. In 1943 he joined theCommunist Party of Yugoslavia and fought with theYugoslav Partisans inWorld War II.[4] He received a degree inelectrical engineering from theElectrotechnical Department of the Technical Faculty of theUniversity of Zagreb in 1954. He remained inZagreb, where he was a director ofRade Končar Industrial Works from 1961 to 1984.[5]
In 1986, he became president of the Presidency ofSocialist Republic of Croatia replacingEma Derossi-Bjelajac. He held that position until 1988, when he was replaced byIvo Latin.
He became prime minister in March 1989 following theresignation ofBranko Mikulić. After that decision had become public, the U.S. had anticipated cooperation because Marković was known "to favor market-oriented reforms"[6] – the BBC declared that he is "Washington's best ally in Yugoslavia".[7] At the end of the year, Marković launched a new and ambitious program of unprecedented economic reforms, including the establishment of afixed exchange rate, theprivatization of failing social enterprises, as well as a program oftrade liberalization. The result of his economic reforms was a halt to inflation, leading to a rise in Yugoslavia's standard of living. Nonetheless, the short-term effect of economic reforms undertaken by Marković led to a decline in Yugoslavia's industrial sector. Numerous bankruptcies occurred as socially-owned enterprises struggled to compete in a more free market environment, a fact later wielded against Marković by many of his opponents. By 1990, the annual rate of growth in GDP had declined to −7.5%.
Marković was the most popular politician inYugoslavia and owed his popularity to his image of a modern Western-styled politician. He had become a leading political figure for those who wanted Yugoslavia to be transformed into a modern, democratic federation. Marković also maintained popularity by staying out of increasingly virulent quarrels within the leadership of theLeague of Communists of Yugoslavia or trying to act as mediator between various republics.
When the League of Communists of Yugoslavia broke up in January 1990, Marković had only his popularity and the apparent success of his economic program on his side. In July 1990, he formed theUnion of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (Savez reformskih snaga), a political party supporting a more centralized Yugoslav Federation, andaccession to the European Community.
This decision was not well received.Borisav Jović, then thePresident of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, commented
The general conclusion is that Ante Markovic is no longer acceptable or reliable to us. No one has any doubts in their mind any longer that he's the extended arm of the United States in terms of overthrowing anyone who ever thinks of socialism, and it is through our votes that we appointed him Prime Minister in the Assembly. He is playing the most dangerous game of treason.[8]
Jović concluded that Marković
was no doubt the most active creator of the destruction of our economy, and to a large extent a significant participant in the break-up of Yugoslavia. Others, when boasted of having broken up Yugoslavia wanted to take this infamous role upon themselves but in all these respects they never came close to what Marković did, who had declared himself as the protagonist of Yugoslavia's survival[8]
Later, his programme was sabotaged bySlobodan Milošević who
had virtually sealed Markovic's failure by December 1990 by secretly securing an illegal loan worth $1.7 billion from Serbia's main bank to ease his reelection that month. The loan undermined Markovic's economic austerity program, undoing the progress that had been made toward controlling the country's inflation rate.[9]
Christopher Bennet, inYugoslavia's Bloody Collapse, stated:[10]
Quite simply, the bank printed whatever money Milošević felt he needed to get himself reelected and the size of the 'loan' became clear a few weeks later when inflation took off again throughout the country. As the economy resumed its downward slide, Marković knew his enterprise had failed [...]
The authority of the federal government was further diminished by secessionist moves inSlovenia andCroatia. In the last months of his tenure Marković tried to find a compromise between secessionists and those demanding that Yugoslavia remain a single entity. His efforts, although favored by the governments inBosnia and Herzegovina andMacedonia, ultimately failed, because theYugoslav People's Army, which should have served the interests of top-level governance, sided with Milošević. Frustrated and politically impotent, Marković told his cabinet in September 1991 what he had gleaned from a wiretap that had come into his possession, which detailed aplan to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina:[11]
The line has been clearly established [between the Serbian government, the army and Serb politicians in Bosnia]. I know because I heard Slobodan Milošević give the order toRadovan Karadžić to get in contact with General Uzelac and to order, following the decisions of the meeting of the military hierarchy, that arms should be distributed and that the TO of Krajina and Bosnia be armed and utilized in the realization of the RAM plan.[12]
Before he resigned in December 1991, Markovic endorsed theCarrington Plan to transform Yugoslavia into a loose confederation of states as a means to prevent a further escalation of theYugoslav Wars. In the end, all his efforts failed to stop theviolent disintegration of Yugoslavia.
Approximately at noon of 7 October 1991, Marković met withStjepan Mesić, thenPresident of the Presidency of Yugoslavia andFranjo Tuđman, thenPresident of Croatia in theBanski dvori.[13] The purpose of the meeting was to persuade Marković to leave his position as the head of the Yugoslav federal government and endorseCroatian independence.[citation needed] Nonetheless, the persuasion left Marković unfazed and unplacated. The three then moved into the president's office for dessert.[citation needed] Shortly after, theYugoslav People's Army attempted to assassinate Marković along with the democratically elected leadership ofCroatia with adecapitation strike onBanski dvori. Marković immediately blamed Yugoslav defense ministerVeljko Kadijević, and refused to return toBelgrade until Kadijević resigned from his post.[13]
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, Marković disappeared from the public eye and decided to work inAustria as an economic adviser. In 1993, he was rumoured to beTuđman's choice forCroatian prime minister, apparently due to his economic expertise. The post ultimately went toNikica Valentić, who established many of the same economic reforms that Marković did while prime minister.[14]
In the early 2000s, he worked as an economic advisor to theMacedonian government. In the late 2000s, he worked as an economic advisor to the government ofBosnia and Herzegovina.
Marković also dedicated himself to a business career and spent most of his time inSarajevo, building luxury apartment buildings and small hydropower plants.[14]
He appeared as a witness at theSlobodan Milošević trial at theICTY in 2003. This appearance broke his 12 years of silence; after that testimony, he gave an interview to theZagreb-basedGlobus news magazine. In his testimony, he stated that Milošević was obviously striving to carve aGreater Serbia out of the ruins ofYugoslavia. He also revealed that both Milošević andTuđman confirmed to him thatin March 1991 in Karađorđevo they made an agreement topartition Bosnia and Herzegovina.[15] Milošević responded by blaming Marković for theintervention of the Yugoslav Army in Slovenia.[14] Marković denied ordering intervention in Slovenia, stating that it was outside his mandate asprime minister of Yugoslavia.[14]
Marković died in the early hours of 28 November 2011, after a short illness, aged 87.[16] Ante Marković was buried inDubrovnik. His funeral was attended by formerCroatian presidentStjepan Mesić,Milorad Dodik, aspresident of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Republika Srpska, filmmakerEmir Kusturica among many others. TheCroatian Sabor (parliament) also sent their condolences to the family of Ante Marković.
Media related toAnte Marković at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Yugoslavia 1989–1991 | Succeeded by |
