Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990-1999)
Encyclopedia
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija comprises the territory of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 within the Republic of Serbia. From April 1992, Serbia itself formed an integral part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During this period, the region was recognised by its Albanian
Albanians in Kosovo
Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo . According to the 1991 Serbian census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population...

 majority - as well as by the Republic of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

 - as the independent Republic of Kosova
Republic of Kosova
The Republic of Kosova was an secessionist state proclaimed in 1991 by a parallel parliament representing the Albanian population of Kosovo, recognized only by the Republic of Albania...

.

This province was established by the Anti-bureaucratic revolution
Anti-bureaucratic revolution
Anti-bureaucratic revolution as a term, refers to a series of mass protests against governments of Yugoslavian republics and autonomous provinces during 1988 and 1989, which led to resignations of leaderships of Kosovo, Vojvodina and Montenegro, and the capture of power by politicians close to...

 by Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...

's government and the reduction of the additional powers of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo was one of the two socialist autonomous areas of the Socialist Republic of Serbia incorporated into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 until 1990...

 in 1990, effectively a return to the pre-1974 status of Kosovo and Metohija
Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1946-1974)
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija was an autonomous province of Serbia, within the larger federation of Yugoslavia from 1963 to 1974, when it was replaced by the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo...

 as when the constitution was last revised in 1971. In 1990 it was an autonomous part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...

 within the larger Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

 and by 1992 the conditions had changed where it remained an autonomous part of the new Republic of Serbia
Republic of Serbia (federal)
The Republic of Serbia was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1990 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003 and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro between 2003 and 2006...

 in the smaller Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After 1999, Serbia and the Yugoslav government no longer exercised de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

control over the territory, and in 2008 the Republic of Kosovo
Republic of Kosovo
Kosovo , officially the Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state and a disputed territory in the Balkans...

 unilaterally and lawfully declared independence. The Republic of Serbia and a majority of UN countries, however, do not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, and Serbia still retains an administrative apparatus for the Autonomous Province.

History

Constitutional changes were made in Yugoslavia in 1990. The parliaments of all Yugoslavian republics and provinces, which until then had MPs only from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...

, were dissolved and multi-party elections were held within them. Kosovar Albanians refused to participate in the elections so they held their own unsanctioned elections instead. As election laws required (and still require) turnout higher than 50%, a parliament in Kosovo could not be established.

The new constitution abolished the individual provinces' official media, integrating them within the official media of Serbia while still retaining some programs in the Albanian language
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

. The Albanian-language media in Kosovo was suppressed. Funding was withdrawn from state-owned media, including that in the Albanian language in Kosovo. The constitution made creating privately owned media possible, however their functioning was very difficult because of high rents and restricting laws. State-owned Albanian language television or radio was also banned from broadcasting from Kosovo http://www.hrw.org/worldreport/Helsinki-12.htm. However, privately owned Albanian media outlets appeared; of these, probably the most famous is "Koha Ditore", which was allowed to operate until late 1998 when it was closed after publishing a calendar glorifying ethnic Albanian separatists.

The constitution also transferred control over state-owned companies to the Yugoslav central government (at the time, most of the companies were state-owned and de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....

they still are). In September 1990, up to 123,000 Albanian workers were dismissed from their positions in government and media, as were teachers, doctors, and civil servants http://www.bndlg.de/~wplarre/back337.htm, provoking a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...

 and mass unrest. Some of those who were not sacked quit in sympathy, refusing to work for the Serbian government. Although the sackings were widely seen as a purge of ethnic Albanians, the government maintained that it was removing former communist directors.

Albanian educational curriculum textbooks previously used were revoked and replaced by new ones. The curriculum was (and still is, as that is the curriculum used for Albanians in Serbia outside Kosovo) identical to its Serbian counterpart and that of all other nationalities in Serbia except that it had education on and in the Albanian language. Education in Albanian was withdrawn in 1992 and re-established in 1994. http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part1/ch1.htm At the Priština University, which was seen as a centre of Kosovo Albanian cultural identity, education in the Albanian language was abolished and Albanian teachers were also dismissed in large numbers. Albanians responded by boycotting state schools and setting up an unofficial parallel system of Albanian-language education.

Kosovo Albanians were outraged by what they saw as an attack on their rights. Following mass rioting and unrest from Albanians as well as outbreaks of inter-communal violence, in February 1990, a state of emergency was declared and the presence of the Yugoslav Army and police was significantly increased to quell the unrest.

Unsanctioned elections were held in 1992, which overwhelmingly elected Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....

 as "president" of a self-declared Republic of Kosova; however, these elections were not recognised by Yugoslav nor any foreign government. In 1995, thousands of Serb refugees from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 settled in Kosovo, which further worsened relations between the two communities.

Albanian opposition to the sovereignty of Yugoslavia and especially Serbia had previously surfaced in rioting (1968 and March 1981) in the capital Priština
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

. Rugova initially advocated non-violent resistance, but later opposition took the form of separatist agitation by opposition political groups and armed action from 1996 by the "Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....

" (Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës, or UÇK) whose activities led to the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...

 ending with the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the eventual creation of the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 Kosovo protectorate (UNMIK).

Politics and government

Since 1999, the Serb-inhabited areas of Kosovo have been governed as a de facto independent region from the Albanian-dominated government in Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

. They continue to use Serbian national symbols and participates in Serbian national elections, which are boycotted in the rest of Kosovo; and in turn, it boycotts Kosovo's elections. The municipalities of Leposavić
Leposavic
Leposavić is a town and [Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] in the district of Kosovska Mitrovica of northern Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with at least 98%ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo...

, Zvečan
Zvecan
Zvečan is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo and Metohija. The municipality covers an area of , and...

 and Zubin Potok
Zubin Potok
Zubin Potok is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of northern Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo...

 are run by local Serbs, while the Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....

 municipality had rival Serbian and Albanian governments until a compromise was agreed in November 2002.

The Serb areas have united into a community, the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija established in February 2003 by Serbian delegates meeting in Kosovska Mitrovica, which has since served as the de facto "capital." The Union's President is Dragan Velić
Dragan Velić
Dragan Velić is a Kosovar politician. Born in Sušica, in the municipality of Priština, Velić was Prefect of the Kosovo District, the name of Kosovo Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija , from December 6, 2001 to September 28, 2004...

. There is also a central governing body, the Serbian National Council for Kosovo and Metohija (SNV). The President of SNV in North Kosovo
North Kosovo
North or Northern Kosovo refers to a region in the northern part of Kosovo with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the disputed territory, which has an ethnic Albanian majority. Ibarian Kolashin , a toponym that pre-dates the political partition, is...

 is Dr Milan Ivanović, while the head of its Executive Council is Rada Trajković.

Local politics are dominated by the Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija
Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija
The Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija is a Serbian political party in Kosovo....

. The Serbian List is led by Oliver Ivanović, an engineer from Kosovska Mitrovica.

In February 2007 the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija has transformed into the Serbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija presided by Marko Jakšić
Marko Jakšić
Marko Jakšić is a Serbian football striker who recently played for Corgoň Liga club MFK Ružomberok.-External sources:* * * at Utakmica.rs-References:...

. The Assembly strongly criticised the secessionist movements of the Albanian-dominated PISG Assembly of Kosovo and demanded unity of the Serb people in Kosovo, boycott of EULEX and announced massive protests in support of Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo. On 18 February 2008, day after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Assembly declared it "null and void".

There also exists a Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija within the Serbian government, Goran Bogdanović
Goran Bogdanovic
Goran Bogdanović is a Serbian politician and current Minister for Kosovo and Metohija in the cabinet of Mirko Cvetković.He was born in 1963 in Raška and holds a degree from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture. From 1992 to 1996, he was manager of JUKO in Srbica...

 is the current Minister for Kosovo and Metohija.

Administrative divisions

Five of Serbian Districts are on the territory of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

, comprising 28 municipalities and 1 city. In 2000, UNMIK created 7 new districts
Districts of Kosovo
A District is the highest administrative division level of both the Kosovo protectorate and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo, over the territory of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija having been an administrative unit in the latter...

and 30 municipalities
Municipalities of Kosovo
A Municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo.-List of Municipalities:The first name is Serbian and the second one is Albanian:* Dečani / Deçan* Dragaš / Dragash* Đakovica / Gjakovë* Glogovac / Gllogovc * Gnjilane / Gjilan...

. Serbia does not exercise sovereignty over this polity. For the UNMIK districts and the districts of Kosovo, see Districts of Kosovo
Districts of Kosovo
A District is the highest administrative division level of both the Kosovo protectorate and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo, over the territory of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija having been an administrative unit in the latter...

.
District Seat Population
in 2002 (rank)
Municipalities and cities
Kosovo District
Kosovo District
Kosovo District was a district in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija between 1990 and 1999. It was located in the middle and had a population of 672,292. Its capital was Pristina...

 
(Kosovski okrug)
Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

672,292
  • Pristina
    Pristina
    Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

  • Glogovac
    Glogovac
    Glogovac is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo.-History:Before the Kosovo War of 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army had a strong level of influence and controlled large areas of the municipality.-More about Glogovac:...

  • Kosovo Polje
    Kosovo Polje
    Kosovo Polje or Fushë Kosova is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo, at 42.63° North, 21.12° East, or approximately eight kilometres south-west of the capital Pristina...

  • Lipljan
  • Obilić
    Obilic
    Obilić is a town and municipality in central Kosovo, belonging to the Pristina district. The municipality includes the town of Obilić and 19 villages, with a total population of approximately 21,548....

  • Podujevo
    Podujevo
    Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to...

  • Uroševac
    Uroševac
    Ferizaj or Uroševac is a city and municipality in southern Kosovo, located some south of the capital Pristina.Uroševac is the third most populous city in Kosovo, after Pristina and Prizren.It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district...

  • Štimlje
  • Kačanik
    Kacanik
    Kačanik or Kaçanik is a town and municipality in southern Kosovo, in the Uroševac district. The municipality covers an area of , including the town of Kačanik and 31 villages. It has a population of approximately 33,454...

  • Štrpce
    Štrpce
    Štrpce is a town and municipality in the District of Uroševac, Kosovo and Metohija.According to the 1991 census, the municipality of Štrpce had a population of around 12,800 people...

Kosovo-Pomoravlje District
Kosovo-Pomoravlje District
The Kosovo-Pomoravlje District , was a district in Kosovo between 1990 and 1999. It was located in the west part of Kosovo i Metohija. It has a population of 217,726. Seat of the District was in the city of Gnjilane...

 
(Kosovsko-Pomoravski okrug)
Gnjilane
Gnjilane
Gnjilane or Gjilan is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the District of Gjilan. It is famous for having been recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with on 25 January 1963.-Name and history:...

217,726
  • Kosovska Kamenica
    Kosovska Kamenica
    Kosovska Kamenica or Kamenica is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of eastern Kosovo.-Geography and population:In 2011, Kosovska Kamenica municipality was estimated to have 35,600 citizens....

  • Novo Brdo
    Novo Brdo
    Novo Brdo is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of eastern Kosovo. The population of the municipality is estimated at 6,720 people .-History:...

  • Gnjilane
    Gnjilane
    Gnjilane or Gjilan is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the District of Gjilan. It is famous for having been recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with on 25 January 1963.-Name and history:...

  • Vitina
    Vitina
    Vitina is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of south-eastern Kosovo.-Geography:Towns in the Vitina municipality include Pozhoran, Kabash, Binqa, Kllokot, Drobesh, Smirë, etc.-History:...

  • Kosovska Mitrovica District 
    (Kosovskomitrovički okrug)
    Kosovska Mitrovica
    Kosovska Mitrovica
    Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....

    275,904
  • Kosovska Mitrovica
    Kosovska Mitrovica
    Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....

  • Leposavić
    Leposavic
    Leposavić is a town and [Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] in the district of Kosovska Mitrovica of northern Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with at least 98%ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo...

  • Srbica
  • Vučitrn
    Vucitrn
    Vučitrn or Vushtrri is a city and municipality in north-eastern Kosovo. It is the seat of the Kosovska Mitrovica District. The name of the city means "wolf's thorn", the name of the spiny restharrow plant in Serbian....

  • Zubin Potok
    Zubin Potok
    Zubin Potok is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of northern Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo...

  • Zvečan
    Zvecan
    Zvečan is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo and Metohija. The municipality covers an area of , and...

  • Peć District 
    (Pećki okrug)
    Peć
    Pec
    Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....

    414,187
  • Peć
    Pec
    Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....

  • Istok
    Istok
    Istok or Istog is a town and municipality in the Peć district of north-western Kosovo. The town is the administrative capital of the municipality, which includes the town and the surrounding villages.-Name:...

  • Klina
    Klina
    Klina or Klinë is a city and municipality in the Peć district of north-western Kosovo. It is located at the confluence of the river Klina into the White Drin.-Demographics:-External links:* *...

  • Đakovica
  • Dečani
    Decani
    Decani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...

  • Prizren District 
    (Prizrenski okrug)
    Prizren
    Prizren
    Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...

    376,085
  • Orahovac
    Orahovac
    Orahovac is a town and municipality in western Kosovo, in the District of Đakovica.-Name:Its Serbian name stems from the Serbian word orah , meaning "walnut"....

  • Suva Reka
  • Prizren
    Prizren
    Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...

  • Gora
    Gora (region)
    Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....


  • See also

    • North Kosovo
      North Kosovo
      North or Northern Kosovo refers to a region in the northern part of Kosovo with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the disputed territory, which has an ethnic Albanian majority. Ibarian Kolashin , a toponym that pre-dates the political partition, is...

    • Kosovo Serb enclaves
      Kosovo Serb enclaves
      Kosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority....

    • Kosovo District
      Kosovo District
      Kosovo District was a district in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija between 1990 and 1999. It was located in the middle and had a population of 672,292. Its capital was Pristina...

    • Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
    • Republic of Serbia (federal)
      Republic of Serbia (federal)
      The Republic of Serbia was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1990 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003 and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro between 2003 and 2006...

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