in 1944.
First session (under occupation) Significance The first
plenary session of ASNOM was dubbed as the "Second Ilinden" because it was convened underground on the symbolic date of August 2 (
Ilinden Uprising day) 1944 in the
St. Prohor Pčinjski Monastery, now in
Serbia. The most important assembly decisions were: • The proclamation of a Macedonian state as part of Yugoslavia • The decision to make
Macedonian the official language of the Macedonian state • The guarantee that the citizens of Macedonia, regardless of their
ethnic affiliation, would be granted all
civil rights, as well as the right to their
mother tongue and
confession of faith • The proclamation of
Ilinden as a national holiday The first session was opened with the anthem of the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) - "
Rise up dayspring of the freedom" and the unofficial Yugoslav anthem - "
Hey, Slavs". The Assembly issued a
Manifesto which described
Vardar Macedonia's position under the
old Yugoslavia as that of a colony and declared '
brotherhood and unity' with the other Yugoslav peoples. According to Bulgarian researchers the first session was manipulated by pro-Yugoslav representatives, and the number of present delegates is disputed.
Developments In early September, Nazi Germany briefly sought to establish a puppet state called
independent Macedonia. However, the state was
de facto not established due to the lack of any military support. Despite this, it was declared by Macedonian right nationalists on 8 September. After Bulgaria switched sides in the war
on 9 September, the Bulgarian 5th Army stationed in Macedonia moved back to the old borders of Bulgaria. In early October the newly formed
Bulgarian People's Army together with the Red Army reentered occupied Yugoslavia. The Germans were driven off from Vardar Macedonia in late November by the Bulgarian Army with the help of
Macedonian Partisans.
Second session ASNOM became officially operational in December, shortly after the German retreat from Skopje. During this session,
Lazar Koliševski, the new leader of the
Communist Party of Macedonia, was declared the first deputy to Čento in the ASNOM presidency during the second session of this assembly on 28–31 December.
Third session On the third session held in April 1945, the body transformed itself into a republican parliament. ASNOM formed a committee to standardize the Macedonian language and its alphabet. ==Aftermath and legacy==