The League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ) convened the highest forum for its 14th Extraordinary Congress on 20–23 January 1990 before it adjourned.

It reconvened without the delegates from Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia and elected a provisional leadership, the Committee for the Preparation of the Democratic and Programmatic Renewal of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, tasked it with convening the 15th LCY Congress on or before 29 September 1990.

Conflicting strategies of the future of the nation, based on the republic's capital, Belgrade, the power of the League of Communists, and its debt crisis, finally separated on the 14th Extraordinary Congress in January 1990.

Calling this congress 'extraordinary' (which (iz)vanredni literally translates to, in a sense of emergency) was especially opposed by the Slovenian delegation.

[1] Instead, the Congress was dominated mostly by clashes between the Serbian and Slovenian delegations over the power and decision-making process of the constituent republics of Yugoslavia.

After two days of sharp verbal conflict, the Slovene delegation walked out of the Sava Center on 22 January, accompanied by the applause of the Serbian representatives.

Immediately thereafter, the head of the delegation from Serbia, Slobodan Milošević, suggested that Congress continue to work and move on to decision-making.

Yugoslavia faced an uncertain period after the Congress, without any significant, cohesive force or individual that could lead the state out of its crisis.