Happy Statehood Day, Croatia! Or shall we say - Dan državnosti!
May 30, 2024
Croatia Statehood Day, 2024
Google's Doodle celebrates Croatia's Statehood Day. On May 30,1990, Croatia established its first democratically-elected, multi-party parliament.
Despite forming its parliament, Croatia couldn't immediately separate from the former Yugoslavia. A year later, parliament finally gained the power to declare independence on June 25, 1991, after 93% of citizens voted for Croatia to become a sovereign state. This event holds the record for the largest voter turnout in Croatian history and is considered one of the most significant Croatian historical events.
Statehood Day commemorates the country's transition to democracy, and Croatians celebrate by attending family reunions, picnics and barbeques. Public officials also lay memorial wreaths at various landmarks to honor the fallen soldiers who fought for freedom.
Happy Statehood Day, Croatia! Or shall we say - Dan državnosti!
Statehood Day is marked in memory of the constitution of the first democratically elected multi-party Parliament on 30 May 1990.
At the constitution of the new Parliament of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which was attended by numerous guests from homeland and expatriate Croatia together with the representatives of religious communities, Žarko Domljan was elected the Speaker of the Parliament and Ivica Percan, Stjepan Sulimanac and Vladimir Šeks were appointed deputy speakers.
Stjepan Mesić was elected the President of the Executive Council of the Parliament, and Franjo Tuđman the President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia. In his first speech to newly elected members of the Parliament, Tuđman emphasized that constitution of the first multi-party Parliament, represented the first step towards return of Croatian people and its country to European, civilized, political, cultural and economic tradition.
Since the enactment of the Law Amending and Supplementing Law on Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days in the Republic of Croatia in 2001 until 2020 the date was marked as Croatian Parliament Day. Enacting the new Law on Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days in the Republic of Croatia in November 2019, which applies from 1 January 2020, 30 May is again, as before 2001, marked as the Statehood Day of the Republic of Croatia.
