Prerastanje Autonomne Kosovskometohijske oblasti u Autonomnu pokrajinu Kosovo i Metohiju 1959–1963

• Published in: Istorija 20. veka (1983) no. 1; pp. 77 - 93
• Main Author: Gatalović, Miomir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Contemporary History, Belgrade 2015; Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
• Subjects: History
• ISSN: 0352-3160

Plan for disbandment of the five districts and enlargement of the municipalities from 65 to 28 in the Autonomous Kosovo-Metohija Region was announced at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee on the 12th September 1959. The Plan was confirmed at the session of the Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Serbia for Kosovo-Metohija on 10th October same year. The Law which approved disbandment of mentioned districts was adopted by the National Assembly of Republic of Serbia, and started to be applied from 1st January 1960. Creation of the new Kosoovo-Metohija’s Leposavic district territory was performed at the expense of central Serbia. The idea of equalization of Autonomous Kosovo Metohija with the other Serbian Provincem the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Region matured as part of the adoption of the new Yugoslav constitution. It was announced at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Yugoslav Central Committee on 22nd November 1961.
The new Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was adopted on 7th April 1963. It has approved the creation of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija as a part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. These changes were confirmed by the Constitution of the Serbia and the Statute of Kosovo-Metohija which were adopted on 9th and 10th April 1963. The autonomy of both provinces in Serbia was guaranteed by the Yugoslavia Constitution. Serbia had no longer the rights to abrogate them. The highest authority in Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija became the Provincial Assembly with five councils and 270 seats. The fundamental rights of the two most numerous national minorities – Albanians and Turks were especially developed. Territorial completion of Kosovo and Metohija province and its transformation from region to the province status was wholeheartedly supported the highest leadership of the Yugoslav Communist Party leadership. The highest Yugoslav circles believed that the change of the status would be the followed by the rapid economic progress of the region. On the other hand, it was administrative and constitutional change will allowed Albanians, as the majority population Kosovo and Metohija, to actively integrate into the Yugoslav federation.