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UÇKHistory and Memory

February 1974 · Before 1981

The 1974 Yugoslav Constitution

The fourth SFRY Constitution gave Serbia's two autonomous provinces, Kosovo and Vojvodina, broad autonomy: their own constitutions, constitutional courts and representation in the federal Presidency and chambers.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.Before the warPolitics
An open book in a museum display with the label “The Constitution of the SFRJ from 1974”.
A copy of the 1974 Constitution of the SFRY on display in the Museum of Republika Srpska; photographed in 2025.Photo: BoMaric · 2025-01-24 · CC BY 4.0

The ICTY judgment in Milutinović et al. describes the constitution as promulgated in February 1974 and notes that its effect on Serbia's powers was criticised by Serbian constitutional experts in a confidential 1977 study (the “Blue Book”) [1].

Sources

  1. [1]Tribunali Penal Ndërkombëtar për ish-Jugosllavinë (ICTY). Prosecutor v. Milutinović et al., Judgement, Volume 1 of 4. 2009-02-26. IT-05-87-T. https://www.icty.org/x/cases/milutinovic/tjug/en/jud090226-e1of4.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16. — paras 213–217
  2. [2]Slavica Banić. Vremeplov: Ustav SFRJ iz 1974. – 21. veljače 1974.. Informator (Zagreb), 2023-02-20. https://informator.hr/strucni-clanci-vremeplov/vremeplov-ustav-sfrj-iz-1974-21-veljace-1974. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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