Leader of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia

Leader of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
Emblems of the LCY
Longest serving Josip Broz Tito 5 January 1939 – 4 May 1980
Seat	Palace of Socio-Political Organisations, Belgrade (1964–91)[1] Marx and Engels Square, Belgrade (1945–1964)[1]
Appointer	Presidency (1980–90) Central Committee (1919–80)
Constituting instrument	Statute of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
Formation	23 April 1919
First holder	Filip Filipović
Final holder	Miroslav Ivanović
Abolished	22 January 1991

The office of leader of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) was first established on 23 April 1919 under the name "Secretary of the Central Committee" (later renamed "Political Secretary of the Central Committee" at the 3rd Congress in 1926). However, in reality, power in this period was shared in a collective leadership with the "Technical Secretary of the Central Committee" (later renamed "Organisational Secretary of the Central Committee" in 1926). When the office of political secretary changed its name on 8 December 1936 to "General Secretary of the Central Committee", the position became more powerful. It kept that name until its abolishment on 4 October 1966, when it was replaced by the "President of the Central Committee". This office lasted until 15 March 1969, when it was replaced by the office of the president of the LCY. Upon the death of Josip Broz Tito, the office of president of the LCY Central Committee was replaced with the "President of the Presidency of the LCY Central Committee". This office lasted a decade. With several branches having already left the LCY, the remaining members of the Central Committee of the 13th Congress established the office of "Coordinator of the Presidency of the Central Committee" on 23 May 1990. Three days later, on 26 May, the 14th Congress reconvened and elected a provisional leadership, with the leader holding the office of "Chairman of the Committee for the Preparation of the Congress of Democratic and Programmatic Renewal of the Central Committee". For most of its existence, the officeholder was the de facto leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.