Skupština

a representative organ of power in Yugoslavia.

According to the constitution of 1974, a skupštine is a “social self-managing body and the supreme organ of power within the framework of the rights and duties of its sociopolitical community” (art. 132). There are skupštine in communes, autonomous provinces, and republics; at the federal level, there is the Skupština, or Federal Assembly, of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

At all levels, skupštine have two or more chambers. They are based on a delegate system, in which a delegation consists of persons elected for four-year terms by secret ballot in labor groups and in geographical districts and persons empowered by a given group to represent its interests in skupštine at various levels. The leading organs of the League of Communists, trade unions, and other sociopolitical organizations are also considered delegations.

The skupštine of communes, autonomous provinces, and republics have three chambers (vécé). At the commune level, the skupštine includes the Chamber of Associated Labor, with delegates from the labor delegations. The Chamber of Local Communities, or Chamber of Communes, has delegates representing geographical districts. The Sociopolitical Chamber has delegates elected by universal, secret, and direct suffrage from among candidates nominated by the leading organs of the sociopolitical organizations.

In the skupštine of the autonomous provinces and republics, the Chamber of Associated Labor and the Sociopolitical Chamber are elected by secret ballot in the corresponding chambers of the skupštine at the commune level. The Chamber of Communes is elected by secret ballot in three chambers of the skupštine at the commune level.

The Skupština of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is bicameral. The Federal Chamber has 220 delegates, all elected by the skupštine at the commune level; the six republics each elect 30 delegates, and the two autonomous provinces each elect 20. The Chamber of Republics and Provinces has 88 delegates, 12 from each skupštine at the republic level and eight from each skupštine at the provincial level.

All skupštine are elected for four years. Each skupštine approves policies and adopts resolutions on the basic problems of its community’s political, economic, and sociocultural life. It passes social plans budgets, and other enactments. It discusses questions of national defense, security, legality, and the judiciary. Each skupštine approves the organization and competence of its executive agency (executive council), its administrative agency (secretariats), and other such agencies. It appoints and removes members of the executive council and the officials of the administrative agencies. It directs and supervises the work of these agencies (seeYUGOSLAVIA: Constitution and government). [23–1598–]