Republic of Kosova
The Republic of Kosova (Albanian: Republika e Kosovës) or First Republic of Kosovo was a self-declared proto-state in Southeastern Europe established in 1991.[1] During its peak, it tried to establish its own parallel political institutions in opposition to the institutions of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija held by Yugoslavia's Republic of Serbia.
Republic of Kosova Republika e Kosovës | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1999 | |||||||||
| Anthem: Himni i Flamurit "Hymn to the Flag" | |||||||||
 Location of the Republic of Kosova in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1999) | |||||||||
| Status | Recognised only by Albania | ||||||||
| Capital | Pristina | ||||||||
| Common languages | Albanian (official) | ||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1992–2000 | Ibrahim Rugova | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1990–1991 | Jusuf Zejnullahu | ||||||||
• 1991–2000 | Bujar Bukoshi | ||||||||
| Historical era | Yugoslav Wars | ||||||||
• Established | 22 September 1991 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 10 June 1999 | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1995 | 2,100,000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Yugoslav dinar Albanian lek Deutsche Mark | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Kosovo | ||||||||
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%252C_Flag_of_Serbia_(1947%E2%80%931992).svg.png.webp){kind=small}
The flag used by the Republic of Kosova was very similar to the flag of Albania, depicting the same symbol on the same coloured background.
History
Proclamation
Late in June 1990, Albanian members of the provincial assembly proposed a vote on whether to form an independent republic; the ethnic Serb president of the assembly immediately shut it down and promised to reopen the assembly on 2 July, which was later postponed.
On 2 July, the vast majority of Albanian members of the Provincial Assembly returned to the Assembly, but it had been locked; so in the street outside they voted to declare Kosovo a Republic within the Yugoslav federation.[2] The Serbian government responded by dissolving the Assembly and the government of Kosovo, removing any remaining autonomy. The Serb government then passed another law on labour relations which dismissed another 80,000 Albanian workers.
Ethnic Albanian members of the now officially dissolved Kosovo Assembly met in secret in Kaçanik on 7 September and declared the "Republic of Kosova" in which laws from Yugoslavia would only be valid if compatible with the Republic's constitution. The assembly went on to declare the "Republic of Kosova" an independent state on 22 September 1991.[3] This declaration was endorsed by 99% of voters in an unofficial referendum held a few days later.[4] The Republic of Kosova received diplomatic recognition from Albania.
Parallel structures
Kosovo Albanians organized a resistance movement, creating a number of parallel structures in education, medical care, and taxation.[5] New schools opened, with houses being turned into facilities for schools, including high schools and universities. And on parallel elections, new leaders were elected, forming a new country within a country. Because of the repression, the new government had its seat in exile. There was a parallel football league, following all the sports men and women being expelled from the stadiums and sports facilities.[6][7]
NATO intervention
From 1995 onwards, tensions in the region escalated leading to the Kosovo War which began in February 1998,[8][9][10][11] fought between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrilla force.[12] The KLA-led campaign continued into January 1999 and was brought to the attention of the world media by the Račak massacre, the mass killing of about 45 Albanians (Including 9 KLA insurgents)[13] by Serbian security forces.[14] An international conference was held in Rambouillet, France later that spring and resulted in a proposed peace agreement (the Rambouillet Agreement) which was accepted by the ethnic Albanian side but rejected by the Yugoslav government.[15]
The failure of the talks at Rambouillet resulted in a NATO air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia lasting from 24 March to 11 June when the Yugoslav authorities signed a military technical agreement allowing NATO peacekeepers (KFOR) and an international civilian mission (UNMIK) to enter Kosovo.
UNMIK assumed control of Kosovo. Provisional Institutions of Self-Government were established to allow Kosovo political and community leaders to be represented in decisions. The KLA was disbanded and replaced by the Kosovo Protection Corps, a lightly armed civilian emergency response organization.
Government
| Position | Name | Period | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Ibrahim Rugova | 1992–2000 | In exile in Italy from 5 May to 15 July 1999 | [16] |
| Prime Minister | ||||
| Bujar Bukoshi | 1991–2000 | In exile in Ljubljana, then from May 1992 to Aug 1999 in Bonn | ||
| Hashim Thaçi | 1999–2000 | Provisional Prime Minister in opposition | ||
| Chairman of the Assembly | Ilaz Ramajli | 1990–1992 |
References
- "Statement of Albanian PM Sali Berisha during the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo, stating that this is based on a 1991 Albanian law, which recognized the Republic of Kosova". keshilliministrave.al. 2008-02-18. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- Malcolm, Noel (1999). Kosovo: a short history. New York: HarperPerennial. p. 346. ISBN 9780060977757.
- Vidmar, Jure (2021). "International Legal Responses to Kosovo's Declaration of Independence". Vanderbilt Law Review. 42 (3): 779. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- Müller, Beat (30 September 1991). "Kosovo (Jugoslawien), 30 September 1991: Unabhängigkeit". sudd.ch (in German). Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- Clark, Howard (2000). Civil Resistance in Kosovo. London: Pluto Press. p. Back side. ISBN 0745315690.
- Demi, Agron (19 April 2018). "How to build a parallel state". prishtinainsight.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- Pula, Besnik (1 January 2004). "The emergence of the Kosovo "parallel state," 1988–1992". Nationalities Papers. 32 (4): 797–826. doi:10.1080/0090599042000296131. S2CID 154818009. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- Independent International Commission on Kosovo (2000). The Kosovo Report (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780199243099.
- Quackenbush, Stephen L. (2015). International Conflict: Logic and Evidence. Los Angeles: Sage. p. 202. ISBN 9781452240985.
- Association of the United States Army (June 1999). "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- Glenny, Misha (2012). The Balkans. USA: Penguin Books. p. 652. ISBN 9780142422564.
- Judah 2000, p. 193
- Strauss, Julius (30 June 2001). "Massacre that started long haul to justice". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- Suy, Eric (2000). "NATO's Intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia". Leiden Journal of International Law. 13 (1): 193–205. doi:10.1017/S0922156500000133. S2CID 145232986. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- "Alternative government: Republic of Kosovo". WorldStatesmen.org. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
Sources
Books
- Judah, Tim (2000). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300097255. Retrieved 17 February 2013.