Year 1990

08. January 1990

Photo: Tone Stojko, source: National Museum of Contemporary History

Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (DEMOS) as a pre-election coalition

Slovenian Democratic Union, Social Democratic Party of Slovenia, Slovenian Christian Democrats, Liberal Party, the Greens of Slovenia and the Slovenian Farmers’ Association (later Slovenian People’s Party) create DEMOS – Democratic Opposition of Slovenia as a pre-election coalition. Before the elections, the Slovenian Craftsmen's Party and the Grey Panthers (the organization of pensioners) join DEMOS as well.

07. March 1990

Republic of Slovenia, without ‘Socialist’

Slovenian Assembly adopts the name “Republic of Slovenia”, without ‘Socialist’

29. March 1990

New Slovenian anthem

Zdravljica is proclaimed the new Slovenian anthem.

08. April 1990

The first democratic multiparty elections

The first democratic multiparty elections of 160 delegates to the Socio-political Chamber and the Chamber of Communes. Parallel to the general elections, presidential elections and elections of the Slovenia’s Presidency members are held. Ciril Zlobec, Matjaž Kmecl, Dušan Plut, and Ivan Oman are elected members of the Presidency. The Demos coalition wins the general elections with 54 per cent of the vote (Christian Democrats led by Lojze Peterle win the majority of the vote in the coalition – 13 %, thus gaining the right to become a formateur). Results: Party of Democratic Reform – 17,3 %, Liberal Party - 14,5%, Social Democratic Union of Slovenia - 7,4%, Slovenian Christian Democrats - 13,0%, the Slovenian Craftsmen's Party - 3,5%, Socialist Union of Slovenia - 5,4%, the Greens of Slovenia - 8,8%, Slovenian Democratic Union - 9,5%, Slovenian Farmers’ Association - 12,6%.

22. April 1990

Second round of presidential election

Milan Kučan wins the presidential seat in the second round with 58, 6 % of the vote. Jože Pučnik gets 41,4 % of the vote.

09. May 1990

France Bučar is appointed the President of the Assembly

Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia meets on its constitutive session and appoints France Bučar the President of the Assembly.

16. May 1990

Alojz Peterle forms the coalition Government

Alojz Peterle forms the coalition Government (Executive Council of the Assembly), composed of Slovenian Democratic Union, Social Democratic Union of Slovenia, Slovenian Christian Democrats, Slovenian Farmers’ Association, the Slovenian Craftsmen's Party and the Greens of Slovenia - the DEMOS coalition (the government term ends on 14 May 1992).

23. December 1990

Photo: National Museum of Contemporary History

Photo: National Museum of Contemporary History

Plebiscite on independence of Slovenia

88.2 % of the people vote FOR an independent Republic of Slovenia.

26. December 1990

Announcement of the official results of the plebiscite

Announcement of the official results of the plebiscite on independence.

Overview of the year

On 8 April 1990, the first democratic multi-party elections since World War II were held in Slovenia. Parallel to the general elections, presidential elections were held in April 1990. As the old legal system still partly applied, deputies to three chambers were on the ballot – the Socio-political Chamber, the Chamber of Communes and the Chamber of Collective Labour – and there was still a presidency. There were four candidates for the position of President, and twelve candidates contested the four remaining seats of the Presidency. Milan Kučan won the presidential seat in the second round, while Ciril Zlobec, Matjaž Kmecl, Dušan Plut, and Ivan Oman became members of the Presidency.

The Demos coalition won the general elections with about 55 per cent of the vote, winning the majority in the Socio-political Chamber (47 seats out of 80) and the Chamber of Communes (50 seat out of 80), while the majority in the Chamber of Collective Labour went to the former Communists, the former youth organisation (renamed the Liberal Party), and the Socialists who were heirs to the Socialist Union. Demos won about 30 seats (in this chamber, party affiliation could not be precisely determined). France Bučar was elected president of the new parliament, while Lojze Peterle became prime minister, because the Christian Democrats won the most votes in the Demos coalition. The process of pluralisation ended with the constitution of a multi-party assembly.

On 8 July 1990, a reconciliation ceremony was held at a mass grave of the Home Guard militia in Kočevski Rog and a monument to the victims of post-war killings was erected. The ceremony, at which the two main speakers were Milan Kučan, the President of the Presidency, and Alojzij Šuštar, the Archbishop of Ljubljana, was an attempt to symbolically overcome the ideological dispute between Slovenes.

The distribution of votes between the new and old parties was almost equal. The post-election period was also difficult in other respects the Slovenian economy was in a state of collapse, as it was being crushed by federal rules and losing Yugoslav markets.

There were opposing views on privatisation and the economic system. Well-known companies went bankrupt. Despite deep mistrust between the new ruling coalition and the opposition, a consensus was gradually built on the issue of Slovenian sovereignty and how to attain it.

Due to different views on the new constitution, the legal aspect of the process of independence was delayed, so the leaders of Demos opted for a plebiscite (which had been unsuccessfully proposed by the opposition Socialist Party), which, after negotiations, was also supported by the opposition. An overwhelming majority (88.2 per cent of those eligible to vote; voter turnout was 93 per cent) supported the creation of an independent Slovenia at a plebiscite on 23 December 1990.

Text: dr. Božo Repe