AVNOJ
AVNOJ
AVNOJ was a pan-Yugoslav anti-fascist political body organised by the Yugoslav Partisans during the Second World War and first convened at Bihać in 1942. At its second session in Jajce in 1943, it declared itself the supreme legislative body, affirmed a federation based on national equality, and authorised the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia to exercise interim-government powers.
In depth
The first session at Bihać in November 1942 created a pan-Yugoslav representative body for the liberation struggle against the Axis occupation. At the second session, held at Jajce on 29–30 November 1943, AVNOJ proclaimed itself the representative of Yugoslav sovereignty and adopted a federation in which Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia would have equal standing. It restricted the return of the king and the government-in-exile and authorised the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia as the executive authority, establishing an institutional foundation for postwar federal Yugoslavia.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports AVNOJ's establishment in Bihać in 1942, its 1943 second session, legislative status, interim executive authority, and federal settlement)
- britannica.com (supports the 1942 founding, broad anti-fascist participation, and expanded legislative and executive functions at Jajce in 1943)
- forost.ungarisches-institut.de (primary-text translation of the declaration of AVNOJ's second session, supporting its wartime political authority and constitutional decisions)