Leon Rukavin was a senior Kresimirian politician who served as a Senator for District VI (Viskogorje) for 30 years and was the second leader of the Blue Dawn party. He is most remembered as the chief Kresimirian negotiator and signatory of the historic 1961 Treaty of Brod Moravice, which established a peace framework with the Bosken minority.
Early Political Career
Rukavin was first elected to the Assembly in the 1942 election as a member of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP). He was part of a new generation of politicians who rose to prominence as the founding members of the Republic began to age. When the RPP was reformed into Blue Dawn in 1951 under Luka Matar, Rukavin was a key figure in the new party. He was re-elected to his seat in Viskogorje in the 1952 election under the Blue Dawn banner.
Leadership and the Treaty of Brod Moravice
Following the sudden death of party founder Luka Matar in 1959, Leon Rukavin was chosen to become the second leader of Blue Dawn. His leadership began during a period of intense crisis, with the Bosken insurgency reaching a violent peak in the 1960 bombing of Karlovac University.
Tasked with finding a solution, Rukavin’s government, with the crucial backing of Chancellor Kresimir Kresimirovic III, entered into secret negotiations with representatives of the militant group BRC-21. Rukavin personally led the Kresimirian delegation, engaging in a series of high-stakes meetings with Bosken leader Nadja Vrasch.
The negotiations culminated in the 1961 Treaty of Brod Moravice. Rukavin signed the treaty on behalf of the Republic, committing the state to a landmark agreement that disarmed BRC-21 and amended the constitution to grant voting rights to the Bosken population in Moraviskameja. The act cemented his legacy as a pragmatic peacemaker but also drew significant criticism from nationalist hardliners in parties like the Sons of Kresimir, who viewed the treaty as a capitulation.
Later Career and Retirement
Rukavin stepped down as the leader of Blue Dawn in 1966 and was succeeded by Ante Brov. He continued to serve as a Senator for District VI, winning re-election in the 1962 election. He did not run for re-election in 1972, retiring from politics after a distinguished thirty-year career in the Assembly.