Sara Unalina (1898–1972) was a Kresimirian politician who served as a Senator for District IV (Severnivaraje) for thirty-seven consecutive years, from the founding of the Republic in 1922 until her retirement in 1959.
Unalina holds a unique place in Kresimirian political history. She was the only non-Bosken candidate to be elected as an Independent in the inaugural 1922 election, and she remained unaffiliated with any party for her entire career. Representing a distinct brand of “Right-Wing Regionalism,” she championed the autonomy of the north against the capital Sinj but frequently broke with her leftist regionalist colleague, Antonio Iric, to support authoritarian security measures, including the controversial 1933 National Security Act.
Early Life
Sara Unalina was born in 1898 in Bistrica, then a rapidly industrializing mining hub under the Vosti Empire. Unlike the Iric family, who were landed gentry, Unalina came from the urban middle class.
She was educated in local clerical schools and worked as a telephone operator and typist for the District Logistics Office during the Unification War. This role placed her at the center of the region’s information network, allowing her to build connections with the conservative merchant class of Bistrica who felt alienated by both the imperial administration and the radical labor unions organizing in the mines.
Political Career
The 1922 Election
When the first elections were called in 1922, Unalina refused to join the dominant Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP). She viewed Filip Novak’s centralism as a threat to northern identity, famously stating, “Sinj does not know the price of coal.”
However, she also rejected the Bistrice People’s Party (BPP) formed by Antonio Iric. She considered Iric’s platform of agrarian socialism and land reform to be dangerous radicalism that would bankrupt the district’s small businesses.
Running as an Independent on a platform of “Northern Strength, Northern Order,” she successfully captured the vote of the conservative urban population in Bistrica. She won the second seat in District IV, commencing a 37-year tenure in the Assembly.
The Authoritarian Regionalist
In the Assembly, Unalina carved out a unique niche. While she fiercely opposed economic centralization and fought for Northern tax exemptions, she was a hawk on national security.
- 1924 Constitutional Crisis: She voted For the emergency measures following the assassination of Ivana Simuna, arguing that terrorism threated the stability of the entire state.
- The 1933 National Security Act: In her most controversial split from the northern bloc, Unalina voted For the Act that established the internal passport system. While Antonio Iric voted against it to protect civil liberties, Unalina argued that “Freedom cannot exist without walls,” believing that the Bosken insurgency required a harsh response to prevent it from spreading north.
Her voting record often made her a tactical ally of the Sons of Kresimir, though she refused to join them due to their clerical focus; Unalina was privately secular, viewing the Church as another arm of Sinj’s control.
Retirement and Succession
By 1959, Unalina’s health was failing. The physical toll of travel between Bistrica and Sinj led her to announce her retirement.
Her departure created a political vacuum in Severnivaraje. The BPP (now led by Imanuel Iric) hoped to capture her voters, but Unalina refused to endorse them. Instead, her conservative, anti-establishment base gravitated toward the hardline nationalism of the Sons of Kresimir.
In the 1959 special election triggered by her retirement, her seat was won by Neda Jovan of the Sons of Kresimir, marking a shift in the district from independent conservatism to organized nationalism.
Later Life
Unalina returned to her timber home in the upper slopes of Bistrica. She remained a formidable presence in the city, frequently writing letters to the editor of the Pulma Press criticizing her successors.
She died in 1972 at the age of 74. She is buried in the Old Bistrica Cemetery, overlooking the valley.