1938 Yugoslavian parliamentary election
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Parliamentary elections were held in Yugoslavia on 11 December 1938.[1] The result was a victory for the governing Yugoslav Radical Union, which won 306 of the 373 seats in National Assembly.
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11 December 1938
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All 373 seats in the National Assembly 187 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Most voted-for list by banovina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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These would be the last elections held in Yugoslavia before World War II. By the time of the first postwar elections, in 1945, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia was rapidly consolidating power, and the non-Communist opposition boycotted the vote after claiming to have been targeted with severe intimidation.[2] As a result, the 1938 elections would be the last multi-party elections held in Yugoslavia until the Communists gave up their monopoly of power in 1990.[3]
Coalitions
The Yugoslav Radical Union (JRZ, Jereza) led by PM Milan StojadinoviÄ, formed a right-wing to far-right alliance with:
- Yugoslav National Party led by Bogoljub JevtiÄ,
- Yugoslav Muslim Organization led by Mehmed Spaho,
- Slovene People's Party led by Anton Korošec and
- People's Radical Party led by Aca StanojeviÄ, which later leaves the alliance in favor of the United Opposition.
The United Opposition alliance consisted of:
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/â | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslav Radical Union | 1,643,783 | 54.09 | 306 | +3 | |
| United Opposition | 1,364,524 | 44.90 | 67 | 0 | |
| Yugoslav National Movement | 30,734 | 1.01 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 3,039,041 | 100.00 | 373 | +3 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 4,080,286 | â | |||
| Source: Nohlen et al. | |||||
Aftermath
Although the United Opposition, de facto led by the Croatian Peasant Party leader MaÄek, had attracted 44.9% of the vote, due to the electoral rules by which the government parties received 40% of the seats in the National Assembly before votes were counted, the opposition vote only translated into 67 seats out of a total of 373. Milan StojadinoviÄ second cabinet collapsed in February 1939, due to his pro-Axis policy. He was replaced by DragiÅ¡a CvetkoviÄ as Prime Minister and de jure JRZ leader. The CvetkoviÄâMaÄek Cabinet was concluded in August 1939 establishing autonomous Banovina of Croatia. MaÄek became the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia and several members of the United Opposition were added to the new cabinet.[4]
Following the CvetkoviÄ government sign Yugoslav accession to the Tripartite Pact in March 1941, there was a faction led by the commander of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ), General DuÅ¡an SimoviÄ, that successfully realized a pro-Allied coup.[5]
Sources
- Onslow, Sue (March 2005). "Britain and the Belgrade Coup of 27 March 1941 Revisited" (PDF). Electronic Journal of International History (8). University of London: 359â370. ISSN 1471-1443.
- Ramet, Sabrina P. (2006). The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building and Legitimation, 1918â2005. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34656-8.
