Dora Martinovic (1868–1941) was a Kresimirian politician who served as a Senator for District V (Moskiprovac) from 1922 to 1932. A member of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), she was one of the first women elected to the Assembly of the Republic.
Her political career is overwhelmingly defined by the events of May 1931, when she oversaw the security preparations for the Republic’s 10th Anniversary celebrations in her home district. Her decision to relax security protocols is cited by historians as a contributing factor to the partial success of the Vijrje Anniversary Attack by BRC-21.
Political Career
Martinovic was elected in the inaugural 1922 election, winning the second seat in Moskiprovac alongside the legendary Divine Founder Nika Radman.
For the first decade of the Republic, Martinovic represented the moderate wing of the RPP. While Radman focused on national security and high-level statecraft in Sinj, Martinovic was known for her work on civic infrastructure and cultural integration in Moskiprovac, a district that had seen heavy fighting during the Unification War. She was a loyal party member, voting in favor of Filip Novak’s emergency amendment during the 1924 Constitutional Crisis.
The 1931 Anniversary Attack
In 1931, the city of Vijrje in District V was selected to host the grand celebration marking ten years of the Divine Republic. As the local Senators, Radman and Martinovic were tasked with organizing the event.
The Security Dispute
In the weeks leading up to the celebration, a significant disagreement arose regarding security measures. Senator Radman, supported by Assembly Chair Filip Novak and the Council for Internal Affairs, advocated for a “lockdown” approach, including military checkpoints and mandatory, invasive bag searches for all attendees.
Martinovic overruled these proposals. She argued that turning a national celebration into a military exercise would project weakness and fear, rather than the strength and unity the event was meant to symbolize. She successfully lobbied to scale back the military presence and forbade invasive searches of attendees entering Republic Square.
The Attack
On May 27, 1931, BRC-21 operatives exploited these relaxed protocols. While security forces managed to arrest many infiltrators, two suicide bombers and a gas attack team slipped through the perimeter. The subsequent bombing killed 7 civilians and injured 12.
Martinovic herself was a primary target of the attack; a BRC-21 kidnap team was tasked with abducting her and Radman, though this aspect of the plot failed due to the intervention of civilian bystanders.
Resignation and Later Life
The aftermath of the attack was politically devastating for Martinovic. She faced intense public criticism and attacks from the Sons of Kresimir, who accused her of negligence.
Deeply affected by the loss of life and accepting responsibility for the security failure, Martinovic announced she would not seek re-election in the 1932 election. She later stated in a private correspondence that “the faces of the seven who died because I wished for a festive atmosphere will haunt me until I join them.”
She was succeeded in District V by Zoran Banit of the RPP. Dora Martinovic retired from public life entirely, living quietly in Vijrje until her death in 1941. Her tenure is often cited in Kresimirian political theory as a cautionary tale regarding the balance between civil liberties and national security.