The Croatian National Council ( hr, Hrvatsko narodno vijeće, HNV) was a representative body of
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
ian emigrant groups which operated from 1974 to the nation's independence in 1991.
At the Croatian Parliament held in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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from November 23 to November 25, 1973 it was decided that a global body, representing groups calling for Croatian independence, would be formed in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
from February 1 to February 3, 1974.
The conference was held as planned. All major Croatian political parties and organizations, as well as many small ones, were represented except for the
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
and the
Croatian Liberation Movement
The Croatian Liberation Movement ( hr, Hrvatski oslobodilački pokret, HOP) is a minor far-right political party founded in 1956 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by Ante Pavelić, poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia and its ruling party Ustas ...
. The Croatian National Council was officially formed here, and elected Ante Došen as president.
The HNV held its first Parliament in September 1975, again in Toronto, where Dinko Šuljak was elected its premier. The second Parliament was in Brussels in 1977, which met with wide protest by Yugoslav officials. At this conference,
Bruno Bušić
Ante Bruno Bušić (6 October 1939 – 16 October 1978) was a Croatian writer and critic of the government of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He was one of the best-known victims of UDBA (Yugoslav secret police) killings.
Biography
...
was elected into the HNV's Parliament and served in it until his assassination by
Yugoslav secret police in 1978.
In January 1980 the third Parliament was held in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. At this conference former
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
(NDH) minister
Vjekoslav Vrančić arrived from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to speak about how the HNV should not rely on the tradition of the NDH to deal with forming a new independent Croatian state. Moderates performed especially well at this Parliament's elections. Parliaments followed in 1982 in Toronto and 1984 in London.
The Croatian National Council met again every two years until its final two Parliaments in 1990. The first was held on schedule, while the second was a special Parliament which saw the HNV de facto disband itself after the first democratic elections in Croatia.
Presidents
*Stanko Vujica (1975–1976)
*Janko Skrbin (1976–1982)
*
Mate Meštrović (1982–1990)
External links
Croatian Political Emigration and the Croatian State
{{Cro45-89parties
Political history of Croatia
1974 establishments in Croatia
1991 disestablishments in Croatia
Croatian-American history
Croatian-American culture
Croatian nationalist organizations
Anti-communist organizations in the United States