1990 Slovenian independence referendum
23 December 1990
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Should the Republic of Slovenia become an independent and sovereign state? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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UN Member State |
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An independence referendum was held in the Republic of Slovenia (then part of SFR Yugoslavia) on 23 December 1990.[1] Both the ruling center-right coalition and the left-wing opposition supported the referendum and called on voters to support Slovenian independence.
The voters were asked the question: "Should the Republic of Slovenia become an independent and sovereign state?" (Slovene: Ali naj Republika Slovenija postane samostojna in neodvisna država?).[2] The Slovenian parliament set a threshold for the validity of the plebiscite at 50% plus one of all registered voters.[3][4]
A total of 1,499,294 people were entitled to vote. However, 42,274 people could not vote because they were working abroad or involved in military service or military exercises, reducing the electorate to 1,457,020.[5]
Results
On 26 December, final results of the referendum were officially proclaimed by France Bučar in the Assembly. 88.5% of registered voters (95.7% of those participating) had voted in favour of independence, therefore exceeding the threshold. 4% had voted against independence, while 1% had cast invalid ballots and 0.1% had returned their ballots unused.[5] 7% of the potential electorate did not participate in the elections.
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 1,289,369 | 95.71 | |
| Against | 57,800 | 4.29 | |
| Total | 1,347,169 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 1,347,169 | 99.09 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 12,412 | 0.91 | |
| Total votes | 1,359,581 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,457,020 | 93.31 | |
| Source: Statistical Office[5] | |||
Aftermath
In the month following the referendum, the Slovenian parliament proposed a six-month period of negotiations, with the goal of forming a loose confederation with the other Yugoslav republics.[6] Unless such an agreement was reached within the deadline, the Slovenia parliament planned to unilaterally declare independence.[7] On 25 June 1991, the deadline arrived with no such confederal agreement. As a result, the Basic Constitutional Charter on the Independence and Sovereignty of the Republic of Slovenia was passed and independence was declared the following day, leading to the Ten-Day War.
References
- ^ "Z drevišnjo proslavo v Cankarjevem domu bomo obeležili obletnico plebiscita" [With the celebration in the Cankar Hall this evening we will commemorate the anniversary of the plebiscite] (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ Felicijan Bratož, Suzana (2007). Prevzem arhivskega gradiva plebiscitnega referenduma o samostojnosti Republike Slovenije [Acquisition of Plebiscite on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Slovenia Archives] (PDF). 6. zbornik referatov dopolnilnega izobraževanja s področja arhivistike, dokumentalistike in informatike v Radencih od 28. do 30. marca 2007 (in Slovenian and English). Regional Archives Maribor. pp. 453–458. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-13.
- ^ "Zakon o plebiscitu o samostojnosti in neodvisnosti Republike Slovenije" [Plebiscite on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Slovenia Act] (PDF). Uradni List (in Slovenian). XLVII (44): 2033–2034. 6 December 1990. ISSN 0350-4964."Intervju: Rosvita Pesek" [Interview: Rosvita Pesek]. Reporter (in Slovenian). 26 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.
- ^ "Plebiscit o samostojnosti – čas največje politične enotnosti" [Independence Referendum – the Time of the Largest Political Unity] (in Slovenian). Delo.si. 23 November 2011. ISSN 1854-6544.
- ^ a b c "Volitve" [Elections]. Statistični letopis 2011 [Statistical Yearbook 2011]. Vol. 15. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. 2011. p. 108. ISSN 1318-5403. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012.
- ^ Pleskovic, Boris; Sachs, Jeffrey D. (January 1994). "Political Independence and Economic Reform in Slovenia". In Blanchard, Olivier Jean; Froot, Kenneth A.; Sachs, Jeffrey D. (eds.). The Transition in Eastern Europe, Volume 1. University of Chicago Press. p. 198. ISBN 0-226-05660-0. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Ramet, Sabrina Petra (1993). "Slovenia's Road to Democracy". Europe-Asia Studies. 45 (5): 872–873. doi:10.1080/09668139308412128. JSTOR 153060. Retrieved 23 December 2025.