A collective presidency existed in Yugoslavia since amendments to the 1963 Constitution in 1971.[1] In 1974 a new Constitution was adopted which reaffirmed the collective federal presidency consisting of representatives of the six republics, the two autonomous provinces within Serbia and (until 1988) the President of the League of Communists. The 1974 Constitution defined the office of President of the Presidency, but only coming into effect with the disestablishment of the office of President of the Republic.[2] A separate article affirmed Josip Broz Tito with an unlimited mandate which ensured the new President of the Presidency would not come into effect until after his death.[3] Simultaneously an office of Vice President of the Presidency had been in place since 1971 on a rotating annual basis between republican and provincial representatives. When Tito died on 4 May 1980, the then Vice President of the Presidency Lazar Koliševski acceded to the role of President of the Presidency. Subsequent to this the role of President of the Presidency would rotate on an annual basis with each President serving as Vice President the year prior.
^Serbo-Croatian: Predsjednik Predsjedništva SFRJ / Председник Председништва СФРЈ, Macedonian: Претседател на Претседателството СФРЈ, romanized: Pretsedatel na Pretsedatelstvoto SFRJ, Slovene: Predsednik Predsedstva SFRJ
References
^"Službeni list Socijalističke Federativne Republike Jugoslavije". Vol. XXVII, no. 29. Belgrade. 8 July 1971.
^"Službeni list Socijalističke Federativne Republike Jugoslavije". Vol. XXX, no. 9. Belgrade. 21 February 1974.
^"Službeni list Socijalističke Federativne Republike Jugoslavije". Vol. XXX, no. 9. Belgrade. 21 February 1974.