Independence Day (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
| Independence Day | |
|---|---|
 The eternal flame in Sarajevo with the national flag on Independence Day, 2019 | |
| Official name | Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Observed by | Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Type | PGPG |
| Significance | Commemorates the anniversary of the successful 1992 Bosnian independence referendum[1] |
| Celebrations | Dances, concerts |
| Date | 1 March |
| Frequency | Annual |
Independence Day (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Dan nezavisnosti, Cyrillic: Дан независности) 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.
History[edit]
Citizens of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a constituent federal state of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, voted in an independence referendum held between 28 February and 1 March 1992.[2] The referendum question was: "Are you in favor of a sovereign and independent Bosnia-Herzegovina, a state of equal citizens and nations of Muslims, Serbs, Croats and others who live in it?"[3] Independence was strongly favoured by Muslims and Bosnian Croat voters, while majority of Bosnian Serbs boycotted it. Voter turnout was 63.6 percent, of whom 99.7 percent voted for the independence.[4]
The results of the referendum were accepted on 6 March by the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 7 April 1992, the European Community recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state.[5] The Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the parliament of the Bosnian–Croat Federation) decided on 28 February 1995 that 1 March would be the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a national holiday.[6] Independence Day was celebrated for the first time on 1 March 1995.[5]
Observance[edit]
The Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina is celebrated only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Republika Srpska boycotts this holiday and celebrates its own Independence Day on 9 January.[7] Milorad Dodik, former President of Republika Srpska and current Bosnian Presidency member, has claimed that Independence Day "is a holiday of the Bosniak people and we do not dispute it, but it is not a holiday celebrated in the Republika Srpska (RS)".[8] Most Bosnian Serbs instead associate the date with the 1 March 1992 attack on a Serb wedding procession in Sarajevo which resulted in the death of the groom's father and the wounding of a Serbian Orthodox priest, whom most Bosnian Serbs consider to have been the first casualties of the Bosnian War.[9]
References[edit]
Citation[edit]
- ^ Batnes et al. 2003, p. 608.
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver 2010, p. 330.
- ^ Velikonja 2003, p. 237.
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver 2010, p. 334.
- ^ a b Berman 2001, p. 148.
- ^ "Danas je Dan nezavisnosti BiH" (in Bosnian). Radio Sarajevo. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ Brunn et al. 2000, p. 1641.
- ^ Kaletovic, Bedrana (3 March 2012). "BiH marks independence, but not all celebrate". Southeast European Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ Latal, Srecko (2 March 2015). "Disputes Simmer Over Bosnian Independence Day". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
Sources[edit]
- Batnes, Ian; Champion, Neil; Hudson, Robert; Macdonald, Fiona; Oliver, Clare; Seacey, Gillian; Steele, Philip (2003). Peoples of Europe. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. ISBN 0-7614-7378-5.
- Berman, David M. (2001). The Heroes of Treća Gimnazija: A War School in Sarajevo, 1992–1995. Rownam & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 0-8476-9567-0.
- Gow, James (2003). The Serbian Project and its Adversaries: A Strategy of War Crimes. London: C. Hurst & Co. ISBN 978-1-85065-646-3.
- Brunn, Stefano; Felton, Michelle; Haywood, John; Kerrigan, Michael Thomas; Lund-Lack, Simon; Plowright, John; Swift, John (2000). World And Its People: Western Balkans. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. ISBN 978-0-7614-7883-6.
- Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A Data Handbook. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh & Co. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
- Velikonja, Mitja (2003). Religious Separation and Political Intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-226-3.
- Walling, Carrie Booth (2013). All Necessary Measures: The United Nations and Humanitarian Intervention. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-0847-4.