The pre-holiday atmosphere on the occasion of BiH Independence Day is already present in Sarajevo, and the flags of our country in the main streets of Ferhadija and Maršala Tito contribute to this.
The Government of the Federation of BiH declared March 2, 2026 as a non-working day, on the occasion of celebrating March 1 – the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a national holiday that is celebrated on March 1 every year, and which celebrates the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The referendum for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held on the recommendation of the Arbitration Commission of the International Conference on Yugoslavia, in the final phase of the dissolution of the former SFRY. It was held on February 29 and March 1, and it marked the determination of the citizens towards the future of the country, and it was also a prelude to the war.
Adult citizens of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a referendum where the only question was:
Are you for a sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, a state of equal citizens, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of other nations who live there?
Independence was supported mainly by Bosniaks and Croats, while a larger number of Serbs boycotted the referendum due to the Serbian Democratic Party’s call for Serbs not to vote in the referendum. A total of 2,073,568 voters took part in the referendum, which represented a turnout of 63.6 percent. Of all those who voted, 99.7 percent voted for independence, and 0.3 percent against that decision. The results of the referendum were accepted on March 6 of the same year in the Assembly of the Republic.
The Government of Republika Srpska disputes that day, and that is why it is celebrated in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brčko District.
