The Referendum on Independence, which was held on February 29 and March 1, 1992, meant confirmation of the commitment to the independence of BiH of majority of citizens, but it was also an introduction to the bloody war, an aggression on BiH that took more than 100, 000 victims, while more than a million of citizens of BiH were forced to leave their homes.
The decree on the proclamation of the law that declared March 1 as the Independence Day of BiH and the national holiday was signed by the President of the Presidency of the Republic of BiH Alija Izetbegovic on March 6, 1995, three years after the Republican electoral commission of the Socialist Republic of BiH confirmed the results of the referendum on determination of the status of BiH.
Prior to that, the Law on March 1 was adopted by the Assembly of RBiH on February 28, 1995. However, based on this law, the Independence Day is marked only in one part of the territory of BiH, in the entity of the FBiH.
In the referendum in 1992, the citizens of BiH were asked to answer the question “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 peoples who live in it? For – against.
Take a look at the ballot from the referendum in 1992:
(Source: faktor.ba)