Yugoslavian parliamentary election, 1950
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Parliamentary elections were held in Yugoslavia on 26 March 1950.[1] The People's Front was the only party to contest the election,[2] receiving 94.2% of the vote.[3]
Background
A new electoral law was passed in January 1950.[1] Imro Filacović of the Croatian Peasant Party was the only MP to vote against the law, complaining that it did not allow opposition parties to oversee the vote counting process. As a result, he was jeered in the National Assembly.
The new law allowed individual candidacies in elections to the National Assembly, replacing the previous closed list system, although the closed list system remained in place for the Council of Nationalities.[1] Candidates required the signatures of 100 registered voters in order to be able to run for office.[1] However, opposition parties were not tolerated by the ruling People's Front.[1] However, no opposition candidates were allowed to stand, with only a single People's Front candidate standing in each constituency.[4] Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito claimed that any alternative programme would be hostile to socialism, and "this, naturally, we cannot allow".[4]
As there were no opposition candidates, voters had the choice of voting for the People's Front or casting a negative vote.[4] Voting was carried out using rubber balls, with voters having to place their hands in both ballot boxes to ensure secrecy.[2]
Following "successful reducation", 67,000 voters had their rights to vote restored after being disenfranchised for "anti-people's activities", although 56,000 people remained disenfranchised for that reason.[1]
