President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia

The President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia was the head of state of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 to 1992. The position was created in the aftermath of the Yugoslav constitution of 1974, which established a rotating presidency system.

The system, which was implemented to prevent any one republic from dominating the federation, divided the presidency into eight members: one from each of the six republics and two from the autonomous provinces of Serbia. The presidency rotated annually, with the president being elected by the members from among themselves.

Now, you may be thinking, “Hold on, if there were eight members of the presidency, why is it called the President of the Presidency?” Well, my dear reader, I’m glad you asked. As it turns out, the position of President of the Presidency was considered to be the highest position within the rotating presidency system, as they were responsible for chairing the meetings, setting the agenda, and representing the presidency on the international stage.

However, despite its important role, many jokes were made about the absurdity of the title. For instance, some people would ask, “If the President of the Presidency is the highest position, does that mean the Vice President of the Presidency is the lowest?”

Although the title might seem confusing, it did have some benefits. For example, it made for some great drinking game material. Friends would gather around with shots of rakija and take a shot every time someone said “President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia.” Needless to say, many hangovers were had.

Sadly, the presidency system, along with the position of President of the Presidency, came to an end with the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. But the title lives on as a humorous reminder of a time when eight people shared a rotating presidency, and one person had the privilege (or burden?) of being the President of the Presidency.