Based on the decision of the Assembly of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Plebiscite on the Serbian people's remaining in the common state of Yugoslavia was held on 9 and 10 November 1991.
A total of 1,162,032 citizens of Serbian nationality voted, declaring themselves in favor of remaining in Yugoslavia. There were 398 votes against. In addition to Serbs, 48,895 citizens of other nationalities turned out and voted to remain in Yugoslavia.
On November 21, 1991, the Assembly of the Serbian People of BiH adopted a decision on the verification of the previously proclaimed Serbian Autonomous Regions (SAO) in BiH: the Autonomous Region of Krajina, SAO Herzegovina, SAO Semberija, and SAO Northern Bosnia, which also includes Doboj.
On December 20, despite the opposition of its Serbian members, the Presidency of BiH adopted a decision to request the recognition of the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the European Community.
After the EC Council of Ministers adopted the Declaration on Yugoslavia, and following the decisions of the Presidency and the Government of the SR BiH to submit a request for the international recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign and independent state, at the fourth session of the Assembly of the Serbian People held on December 21, 1991, in Sarajevo, a decision was made to proceed with the formation of the Republic of Serbian Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the subsequent fifth session of the Assembly of the Serbian People in BiH, held on January 9, 1992, the only item on the agenda was the implementation of the decision of the Assembly of the Serbian People in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the proclamation of the "Republic of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina".
The first point of the Declaration adopted by the Assembly stated:
"In the territories of the Serbian autonomous regions and provinces and other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the areas where the Serbian people became a minority due to the genocide committed against them in World War II, and based on the plebiscite held on November 9 and 10, 1991, at which the Serbian people declared themselves in favor of remaining in the common state of Yugoslavia, the Republic of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina is established and proclaimed."
This document established a new institutional and state framework for the protection of the position of the Serbian people — Republika Srpska.
Recommended Literature:
- Група аутора, Република Српска у Одбрамбено-отаџбинском рату, РЦИРЗ, Бања Лука 2017.
- Предраг Лозо, „Република Српска – име, догађаји и историјски процеси“, у: Српски историјски часопис, год. 3/4, бр. 3/4 (2020/2021), 164–193.