France Bučar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
France Bučar
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| 1st Speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia | |
| In office 17 May 1990 – 23 December 1992 |
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| Preceded by | New position |
| Succeeded by | Herman Rigelnik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 February 1923 Bohinjska Bistrica, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
| Died | 21 October 2015 (aged 92) Bohinjska Bistrica, Slovenia |
| Political party | Slovenian Democratic Union |
| Spouse | Ivka Bučar |
| Alma mater | University of Ljubljana |
| Profession | Lawyer, Academic, Politologist |
France Bučar (born February 2, 1923 – died October 21, 2015) was an important Slovenian politician, a smart legal expert, and an author. From 1990 to 1992, he was the very first speaker of the new, freely elected Slovenian Parliament. He is famous for officially announcing Slovenia's independence on June 25, 1991. Many people see him as one of the main people who helped create Slovenia's democracy and independence. He also helped write Slovenia's current constitution.
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Who Was France Bučar?
France Bučar was a key figure in Slovenia's journey to becoming an independent country. He was known for his strong beliefs in freedom and justice. His work helped shape the modern Slovenian state. He played a big role in creating the laws and rules for the new country.
Early Life and Education
Bučar was born in a small town called Bohinjska Bistrica. This was in a country then known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He went to the St. Stanislaus Institute and later studied law at the University of Ljubljana.
During World War II, he joined a group fighting for Slovenia's freedom. He was arrested by Italian forces and sent to a camp. Later, he was arrested by German forces but managed to escape. He then joined the Partisan resistance fighters. In 1944, he joined the Communist Party of Slovenia. He was allowed to keep his Roman Catholic faith, which was unusual at the time.
After the war, Bučar worked for the government in Slovenia. He continued his studies and earned his PhD in law. He even traveled to the United States to study public administration.
A Voice for Change
In 1962, Bučar started teaching at the University of Ljubljana. He began to speak out against some parts of the Communist system in Yugoslavia. He thought the government had too much control and that the economy wasn't working well. Because of his views, he was removed from the Communist Party in 1963.
Even after this, he kept teaching and became very popular with students. He introduced new ideas like system theory to his classes. He also wrote many articles criticizing the government's economic plans. In 1976, he was fired from the university and wasn't allowed to publish his writings for five years.
In the 1980s, he started writing for an alternative magazine called Nova revija. He even spoke at the European Parliament in 1988. There, he suggested that other countries should stop giving money to socialist countries in Eastern Europe. He believed this would make them change their political and economic systems.
Leading Slovenia to Independence
In 1989, Bučar helped start the Slovenian Democratic Union. This was one of the first groups to stand against the Communist government in Slovenia. In 1990, this group won the first free elections in Slovenia. Bučar was then chosen as the Chairman of the Slovenian National Assembly.
As the speaker of the Parliament, Bučar played a very important role. He helped create Slovenia's new constitution. He strongly believed that Slovenia needed a clear and legal path to independence from Yugoslavia. He made sure everything was done correctly by the law.
Later Political Life
After his time as Speaker, Bučar continued to be active in politics. He joined the Democratic Party and was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1992. He then led a committee that watched over the secret service. In 1993, he left the party and became an independent member of Parliament until 1996.
He ran for mayor of Ljubljana in 1996 but did not win. In 2002, he also ran for President of Slovenia as an independent candidate, but he was not successful.
Until 2012, he was the president of the International Paneuropean Union for Slovenia. In an interview in 2012, Bučar said that democracy in Slovenia was still weak. He felt that power was held by only a few people, similar to how it was before 1991. He believed the Parliament had become just a formal institution.
France Bučar lived in Ljubljana. He spoke Slovene, German, English, and Serbo-Croatian. He passed away on October 21, 2015, at the age of 92.
See also
- Jože Pučnik
- Contributions to the Slovenian National Program
- Breakup of Yugoslavia
- 2002 Slovenian presidential election
