Ivana Simuna (d. 1924) was a Kresimirian politician and one of the first two Senators elected to represent District X in the inaugural 1922 Assembly election. Her assassination in 1924 by the very separatist group she was associated with was a foundational crisis for the young Republic, directly causing a constitutional crisis and triggering the formation of the hardline nationalist Sons of Kresimir party.
Political Career
Elected in 1922, Ivana Simuna ran as an independent candidate. However, it was widely understood that she, along with her fellow District X senator Josipa Vukel, was closely affiliated with the Bosken separatist group BRC-21, which was banned from participating in elections.
During her time in the Assembly, Simuna grew disillusioned with BRC-21’s militant tactics. In the weeks leading up to her death, she became a vocal critic, delivering a widely reported speech in which she denounced the group’s “campaign of terror” and called for a peaceful, political resolution to the Moraviskameja dispute. This public break made her a target for the group’s hardliners.
Assassination
See: Assassination of Ivana Simuna
On November 15, 1924, Simuna was scheduled to give a speech at Brod Moravice District University. At approximately 10:00 a.m., a bomb planted by a BRC-21 operative named Nala Jelik detonated beneath the stage. Simuna was fatally wounded in the blast. Her fellow senator, Josipa Vukel, was also injured in the attack but survived.
Aftermath and Legacy
The assassination of a sitting Senator plunged the new Republic into its first major political crisis.
- Constitutional Crisis: The Kresimirian constitution’s process for replacing a deceased senator proved unworkable in the hostile environment of Moraviskameja, forcing Chair of the Assembly Filip Novak to pass an emergency constitutional amendment to allow for the 1924 special election.
- Political Radicalization: The act was condemned across Kresimiria and directly provoked Kresimir Basic and other nationalist senators to break from the ruling RPP and form the Sons of Kresimir, a party dedicated to a harsher line against the Bosken movement.
Ivana Simuna is remembered as a martyr for a peaceful path that was rejected by extremists. Her murder extinguished early hopes for a moderate resolution and set the stage for decades of violent conflict.