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.
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Should the Republic of Slovenia become an independent and sovereign state? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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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% and one of all registered voters.[3][4]
There were 1,499,294 people 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 the results of the referendum were officially proclaimed by France Bučar in the Assembly. 88% of registered voters (95% 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
Bučar's announcement obliged the Slovenian authorities to declare the independence of the country within six months. On 25 June 1991 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.