List of heads of state of Yugoslavia

This is a List of Heads of State of Yugoslavia from the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 until the end of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a monarchy ruled by the House of Karađorđević from 1918 up until World War II. The SFR Yugoslavia was headed first by Ivan Ribar, the President of the Presidency of the People's Assembly (president of the parliament), and then by President Josip Broz Tito until his death in 1980, when the a collective federal presidency rotated the presidency among the republic representatives. With the reforms in 1990, individual republics elected their own heads of state, but the country's head of state continued to rotate among appointed representatives of the republics until the county's dissolution.

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Royal Standard of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1920s to 1937)

Main article: Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created by the union of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs with the Kingdom of Serbia on 1 December 1918. The Kingdom was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. All monarchs were members of the House of Karađorđević. Peter I, previously King of Serbia, was proclaimed King by representatives of South Slav states. The royal family continued through his son and his grandson.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Succession right	Royal house	Note
Peter I 1 December 1918– 16 August 1921		29 June 1844 Belgrade son of Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia and Persida Nenadović	Princess Zorka of Montenegro 1883 5 children	16 August 1921 Belgrade aged 77	previously King of Serbia, proclaimed King by representatives of South Slav states	House of Karađorđević	Held the title "King of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes". Prince Alexander served as regent in his final years.
Alexander I 16 August 1921– 9 October 1934		16 December 1888 Cetinje son of Peter I and Princess Zorka of Montenegro	Maria of Romania 8 June 1922 3 children	9 October 1934 Marseilles aged 45	son of the preceding	House of Karađorđević	Proclaimed "King of Yugoslavia" in 1929. Assassinated in Marseilles.
Peter II 9 October 1934- 29 November 1945		6 September 1923 Belgrade son of Alexander I and Maria of Romania	Alexandra of Greece and Denmark 20 March 1944 1 child	3 November 1970 Denver aged 47	son of the preceding	House of Karađorđević	Prince Paul acted as regent until ousted on 27 March 1941; exiled on 17 April 1941 and deposed on 29 November 1945.

SFR Yugoslavia

Main article: SFR Yugoslavia

President of Yugoslavia
Former political post
Standard of the President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (used 1953-1992)
Stjepan Mesić
Predecessor
Successor	Franjo Tuđman Dobrica Ćosić Alija Izetbegović Kiro Gligorov Milan Kučan
First officeholder	Ivan Ribar
Last officeholder	Stjepan Mesić
Political office started	29 December 1945
Political office ended	3 October 1991
Current pretender	None

After the German invasion and fragmentation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, partisans formed the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) in 1942. On 29 November 1943 a AVNOJ conference proclaimed the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, while negotiations with the royal government in exile continued. After the liberation of Belgrade, the Communist-led government on 29 November 1945 declared King Petar II deposed and proclaimed the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1963, the state was renamed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Since 1974, Yugoslavia was headed by a collective presidency, consisting of representatives of the six republics, the two autonomous provinces within Serbia and (until 1988) the President of the League of Communists. The collective was first chaired by Tito, who was President for life. After his death in 1980, one member was annually elected Chairman of the Presidency and acted as head of state. For other leading officials of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, see List of leaders of SFR Yugoslavia.

In 1963 the new Constitution renamed the state as Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and divided the office of the President from the Presidency of the Federal Council, even if the President of the Republic retained the power to preside over the Government when it met, on the French model.^[1] In 1974, a new Constitution planned a collective presidency, consisting of representatives of the six republics, the two autonomous provinces within Serbia and (until 1988) the President of the League of Communists, with a Chairman in rotation. Notwithstanding, this constitutional provision was suspended because Tito was declared President for life. After his death in 1980, one member was annually elected President of the Presidency and acted as head of state. For other leading officials of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, see List of leaders of SFR Yugoslavia.       League of Communists of Yugoslavia       Socialist Party of Serbia       Croatian Democratic Union       Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro

Order	Head of State			Lifespan	Took office	Left office	Party	Representing	Note
President of the Presidency of the People's Assembly 1945-1953
N/A			Ivan Ribar	1881–1968	29 December 1945	14 January 1953	Communist Party of Yugoslavia (party renamed)	N/A	As the President of the Presidency (speaker) of the Yugoslav People's Assembly, Ribar also served as the head of state 1945-1953. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) was reorganized and renamed into the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ) on November 2, 1952.
							League of Communists of Yugoslavia (party renamed)
President 1953-1974
1			Josip Broz Tito	1892–1980	14 January 1953	16 May 1974	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	N/A	Office of the President of Yugoslavia instituted.
Presidents of the Presidency 1974-1992
1			Josip Broz Tito	1892–1980	16 May 1974	4 May 1980	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	N/A	Collective head of state instituted: the Yugoslav Presidency headed by a President of the Presidency. Josip Broz Tito declared president for life.
2			Lazar Koliševski	1914–2000	4 May 1980	15 May 1980	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Macedonia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
3			Cvijetin Mijatović	1913–1993	15 May 1980	15 May 1981	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Bosnia and Herzegovina	Chairman of the collective head of state.
4			Sergej Kraigher	1914–2001	15 May 1981	15 May 1982	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Slovenia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
5			Petar Stambolić	1912–2007	15 May 1982	15 May 1983	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Serbia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
6			Mika Špiljak	1916–2007	15 May 1983	15 May 1984	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Croatia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
7			Veselin Đuranović	1925–1997	15 May 1984	15 May 1985	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Montenegro	Chairman of the collective head of state.
8			Radovan Vlajković	1922–2001	15 May 1985	15 May 1986	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SAP Vojvodina	Chairman of the collective head of state.
9			Sinan Hasani	1922–2010	15 May 1986	15 May 1987	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SAP Kosovo	Chairman of the collective head of state.
10			Lazar Mojsov	1920–2011	15 May 1987	15 May 1988	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Macedonia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
11			Raif Dizdarević	1926–	15 May 1988	15 May 1989	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Bosnia and Herzegovina	Chairman of the collective head of state.
12			Janez Drnovšek	1950–2008	15 May 1989	15 May 1990	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	SR Slovenia	Chairman of the collective head of state.
13			Borisav Jović	1928–	15 May 1990	15 May 1991	League of Communists of Yugoslavia (until January 1990)	Serbia	Chairman of the collective head of state. League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolved into six separate parties. In Serbia the party was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Serbia.
							Socialist Party of Serbia (from January 1990)
N/A			Sejdo Bajramović (acting)	1927–1994	16 May 1991	30 June 1991	Socialist Party of Serbia	AP Kosovo	Acting
14			Stjepan Mesić	1934–	30 June 1991	3 October 1991[citation needed] (formally resigned 5 December 1991[citation needed])	Croatian Democratic Union	Croatia	Chairman of the collective head of state. Last President of Yugoslavia.
N/A			Branko Kostić (acting)	1939–	3 October 1991[citation needed]	15 June 1992	Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro	Montenegro	Acting president. Installed by Serbia and Montenegro.

See also

• List of Deputy Heads of State of Yugoslavia
• Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
• Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Chairmen of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• President of Croatia
  • List of Presidents of Croatia
• President of Serbia and Montenegro
• President of Kosovo
• President of the Republic of Macedonia
• President of Montenegro
  • List of Presidents of Montenegro
• President of Serbia
  • List of Presidents of Serbia
• President of Slovenia

References

1. ^ Constitution of 1963