 The tensions were further boosted by inflammatory reports in the Serbian media.According to the 1974 Yugoslav constitution, the two autonomous provinces of Serbia (Vojvodina and Kosovo) were largely independent from the central Serbian government, with both of them holding a seat in the Yugoslav Presidency, on a par with the six constituent republics of Yugoslavia.In effect, their status was almost equivalent to the republics', which enabled provincial leaderships of Kosovo and Vojvodina to have policies that were practically independent.