Politics

21 Jan 2021, 12:17 PM

STA, 20 January - Several Slovenian politicians have become the target of defamatory statements recently, reflecting heightened political tensions. Some officials have reported incidents to police, others are considering doing so.

In the latest in a series of such incidents, someone spray-painted the word "rat" on the fence gate of Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec.

The photo of the gate was posted on Twitter by Marjan Šarec, the head of the eponymous opposition LMŠ party, who added a caption reading "we know who called people rats in the 1930s - here we go again, apparently".

DeSUS told the STA that Erjavec had reported the incident to the police, which have confirmed that the investigation has been launched.

A while ago an inscription reading "Lucifer" appeared on the pavement in front of Erjavec's house.

Such insulting or even threatening graffiti, messages or posters targeted at politicians have been a frequent occurrence lately, particularly since efforts to call a vote of no confidence in the government emerged.

Erjavec's bid to become PM-designate was withdrawn yesterday due to Covid-19 infections in parliament, however the opposition still plans to go ahead with the procedure when all MPs are able to vote in person.

Another target of recent political insults or threats has been Branko Simonovič, a DeSUS MP who decided not to contribute his signature to the now withdrawn no-confidence motion.

Posters have appeared on the coast, where Simonovič resides, showing photos of him and coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) MPs with a caption that seemed to be displaying a choice between freedom, symbolised by support for the no-confidence motion, and fear, illustrated with the swastika symbol.

There were also posters focusing on SMC MP Gregor Perič with an inscription reading "Hero or traitor?" that appeared in front of his home and at the coastal town of Izola.

In Ljubljana one could spot posters or fake election campaign adds for SMC MPs with the additional party acronym SDS, alluding to criticism that the SMC is bowing down to the ruling Democrats.

Various graffiti and posters targeting individual MPs emerged already last year. Prime Minister Janez Janša told commercial broadcaster Nova24TV on Sunday that he received some 100 death threats a day, mostly via social media platforms.

Between March, when his government was sworn in, and the end of 2020 the police recorded 18 cases involving threats against government representatives and persons who are in any way related to the government's work. In ten cases perpetrators have been found and some investigations are still ongoing.

21 Jan 2021, 12:06 PM

STA, 21 January 2021 - Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Janša announced late Wednesday evening that he had sent congratulations to the newly sworn-in US President Joseph Biden.

"For those curious: Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated today the new US President Joe Biden on taking the oath," wrote Janša, highlighting that he did it the same way and in similar words as in 2005 when he, also as prime minister, congratulated the then US President George W. Bush.

"Slovenia and the US were NATO allies then and are today," he added.

Janša was one of the few world leaders who had not congratulated Biden on his election victory before yesterday's inauguration.

Before the election, he endorsed Donald Trump and said Biden "would be one of the weakest US presidents" if he wins.

When it was becoming clear that Biden had won, Janša reposted tweets by Trump and his supporters that made allegations about election fraud and stolen elections.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor congratulated Biden when the election results were released, calling for Slovenia and the US to stay friends and strong allies. Pahor reiterated his congratulations yesterday and wished Biden good luck.

20 Jan 2021, 13:20 PM

STA, 20 January 2021 - Slovenia recorded 1,698 coronavirus infections from 11,308 tests on Tuesday as the seven-day average of new infections and hospitalisations fell below the threshold set by the government to move from black to red tier where the easing of restrictions can start by regions.

Data released by the government show that 5,384 PCR tests and 5,924 rapid antigen tests were performed yesterday, with positivity rates of 25.9% and 5%, respectively.

The daily increase in cases marks a 19% decline on the same day a week ago and is the first time since late October that Tuesday's case count fell below 2,000.

Data from the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik shows that the seven-day average has thus fallen to 1,297, which is below the 1,350 mark set by the government in its colour-coded, five-tier strategy of coronavirus restrictions as one of the criteria to move from top black tier to tier red.

The other criterion is Covid-19 hospitalisations, which government data show fell below the 1,200 mark to 1,178, 22 fewer than the day before after 125 patients were discharged. 181 patients or six fewer than the day before required intensive treatment.

The government will decide on potential easing of measures today with PM Janez Janša saying yesterday no drastic relaxation was to be expected yet.

Another 26 patients with Covid-19 died yesterday, to bring the overall death toll to 3,257, according to the tracker site.

Slovenia has so far reported more than 152,800 coronavirus cases.

Details of the tier system

Black tier
No. of infections: more than 1,350
Hospitalisations: more than 1,200

– Measures as they are currently in place

Red tier
No. of infections: under 1,350
Hospitalisations: under 1,200

– Kindergartens reopen along with the first three grades of primary schools under model C, which means in small groups and in line with all safety recommendations. Lab courses are allowed for students
– Museums, libraries, galleries reopen
– Contactless outdoor sports activities are allowed along with individual and family exercise
– Car repair shops and similar services, ski centres, certain shops reopen (regionally)

Orange tier
No. of infections: under 1,000
Hospitalisations: under 1,000

– School reopens for the remaining primary school students and final years of secondary school under model C, at the university level exams and seminars with up to ten people are allowed
– Reopening of certain other services, shops
– Assembly of up to ten persons allowed
– Free movement among municipalities with adherence to safety measures (the measure will be applied regionally)

Yellow tier
No. of infections: under 600
Hospitalisations: under 500

– School reopens for remaining high school students and university students, student dorms reopen
– All remaining services reopen
– Curfew lifted in the entire country (optionally only for some regions)

Green tier
No. of infections: under 300

– No more restrictions for the entire country
– General hygiene measures remain in place, bars and night clubs remain closed

20 Jan 2021, 09:53 AM

STA, 19 January 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša said he expected 70% of the Slovenian population could be vaccinated against coronavirus by the beginning of summer as he presented Tuesday fresh figures on planned deliveries of vaccines that indicate Slovenia should get significantly more jabs in the second quarter than previously thought.

Figures presented by Janša show deliveries in the first quarter should be 50,000 higher than indicated last week, as nearly 300,000 shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is to be delivered, along with 50,000 shots of the Moderna vaccine and nearly 559,000 shots of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, which is still awaiting approval by the European Medicines Agency.

In the second quarter Slovenia expects to get 2.4 million shots compared to fewer than 1.7 million shots projected last week, mostly due to a doubling of deliveries by Pfizer/BioNTech to 1.4 million shots.

"The second quarter will be the most important quarter ... If the deliveries come through, we'll achieve a 70% vaccination rate by the beginning of summer and contain the epidemic within our borders," Janša said.

The EU's goal, due to be confirmed by EU leaders at a virtual summit on Thursday, is to vaccinate all health workers and everyone over the age of 80 by March; 70% of the total population should get the vaccine by the summer.

According to Janša, Slovenia could achieve this objective a month earlier assuming all vaccine deliveries are made as scheduled.

Slovenia's vaccination strategy, adopted in December, remains unchanged, which means the elderly and critical staff - respectively persons with highest risk of severe Covid-19 and those at highest risk of contracting the virus - have priority.

Institutions performing the vaccinations have been instructed to have lists of vaccination candidates from the same priority group available in the event those scheduled for vaccination do not show up, or if they have excess shots for any other reason, according to Janša.

The latest data on Slovenia and coronavirus

19 Jan 2021, 14:27 PM

STA, 19 January 2020 - DeSUS leader Karl Erjavec has withdrawn his bid to become PM-designate until all MPs will be able to work in normal conditions, says a press release published on the web site of the National Assembly. The move comes after several MPs have been infected with coronavirus and would not be able to vote in person.

This means that the parliamentary session to vote on Erjavec's bid that was scheduled for Wednesday will not take place. Also cancelled was today's college of deputy group leaders, which was to decide on the timing of the vote.

The ruling coalition criticised the move as an excuse to avoid a failure to vote out the government with Prime Minister Janez Janša commenting on Monday that "the Slovenian caviar left is unfit to fight any fair political battle anywhere".

This was after Erjavec said on Monday he was considering withdrawing his bid because some MPs had been infected with coronavirus or were self-isolating, which meant they would not be able to vote in the secret ballot that was planned for Wednesday.

"Considering they have been unable to count their votes for three months, this is no surprise," Danijel Krivec, the head of the deputy faction of Janša's Democrats (SDS), told reporters in parliament today.

"Considering such a demanding matter is being tabled with 42 signatures, which we know is doomed to failure, they're just looking for an alibi to avoid a fiasco in the vote," he said, hoping the "burlesque" would not continue.

Janša said the parties behind the motion were only seeking to cause trouble and spread coronavirus following the principle "the more infected and dead the better for KUL". "If bringing down the government succeeded, then [there was to be] chaos and election," Janša tweeted.

"Cases become statute barred on purpose in the judiciary, in parliament votes of no confidence are announced, cancelled, withdrawn ... In the meantime the mainstream media subjected to them spread the virus of intolerance, exclusion and divisions," added Janša.

Also reacting via Twitter, Zdravko Počivalšek, the economy minister and leader of the Modern Centre Party (SMC), questioned the pick of Erjavec for the post of PM considering that he had not even been elected to parliament.

"A serious opposition would put forward the leader of its biggest party for PM-designate. Marjan Šarec may dare to look for the gun thrown in the maize field. We wouldn't back him, but I'd value him much more," said Počivalšek, expanding on the set phrase that had been used by Janša earlier in response to the opposition's bid to replace his cabinet.

Počivalšek's tweet was also shared by Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the leader of New Slovenia (NSi).

"Karl Erjavec and his supporters have had to realise at last the epidemic is not the right time to propose motions of no confidence," the NSi said in a written response, calling for constructive conduct to defeat Covid-19.

National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič, an SMC member, noted obstacles in Erjavec's attempts to get MPs from his own party on board for the motion as a sign of "how such a coalition would function".

The head of the SMC deputy faction Janja Sluga said she believed the problem was in fact the absence of some MPs, while she also noted that temporary withdrawal of such a bid was not possible so the whole procedure would have to be started anew.

Under the parliamentary rules of procedure, MPs must be present in parliament in person for the secret ballot, whereas the deadline to hold the extraordinary session on the no-confidence motion is Friday, seven days after it was tabled.

Erjavec said he would consult legal experts about this and he held talks with the members of the informal KUL coalition this morning.

The no-confidence motion was filed by 42 MP from the opposition LMŠ, SD, Left, SAB and DeSUS last Friday.

Erjavec's withdrawing his bid means the procedure for the vote of no-confidence is over.

If the vote is to be held in the future, a new no-confidence motion will have to be filed, with all the signatures, Speaker Igor Zorčič told the STA yesterday.

Zorčič and deputy faction leaders today discussed ways to allow MPs to cast a secret ballot remotely or outside the parliament building with Zorčič expecting proposals by Thursday.

However, any such change would entail amendments to the parliamentary rules of procedure, which require a two-thirds majority to pass. Zorčič does not think solutions can be offered overnight, also because of a series of legal, security, ethical and health issues involved.

Noting the controversy over remote session and public voting last year, he said: "No one would even dare consider a secret electronic ballot, as other countries don't have something like that either. In particular not to vote a prime minister via computer."

Erjavec is expected to address the press at 4pm today.

19 Jan 2021, 11:55 AM

STA, 19 January 2020 - Members of an autonomous social and cultural community that have been squatting the defunct Ljubljana bicycle factory Rog for years are being forcibly removed from the premises on Monday as construction work started on the site.

The Ljubljana authorities confirmed they had started tearing down buildings on the site as part of the long running efforts to remake the rundown site into a new creative hub.

Representatives of one of the activist organisations squatting the compound told the STA security guards dragged people out of the building with police standing watch, while the rtvslo news webs site reported police used tear gas against some individuals.

The Ljubljana Police Department (LPD) confirmed for the STA that the owner of the premises was carrying out construction work on the site, initially with the help of security guards.

The police were called in as persons gathering on the premises would not follow the guards' instructions, the LPD said, adding they had established violations of the public peace and order on the site and persons who did not follow police orders were fined.

The police said construction and security services had secured the building and checked whether there were persons inside to set up a building site. "The public order has been established and police will stay on the site to ensure it remains that way," the release said.

Video footage available online shows fences being put up and individuals being handcuffed and taken away by the police as some of the onlookers carried banner saying We're not giving up Rog.

The city, which has included the Rog makeover project in its 2021 budget, has been trying to take possession of the premises for years, including through courts. It most recently tried to evict the squatters in 2019 after winning a court battle against several of them.

"Having been notified in recent weeks that Rog is empty, we took possession of the premises, which are property of the Ljubljana municipality, today," the city authorities said.

They added that they had started demolishing work based on a development permit and "environmental remedy of the site, which is seriously degraded and dangerous" due to galvanic residues and structural instability of the buildings.

They are planning to publish a tender within a month to pick a contractor to renovate Rog, announcing that a new Rog Centre would be completed within two years to provide "premises to more than 500 creators and creative groups on 8,000 square metres of modern production space".

"By revitalising the site we will acquire a new creative meeting point and a hub linking the city centre, the Metelkova cultural centre, the new Cukrarna Gallery and Cukrarna Palace," they added.

In response to the developments, the local chapter of the Left party protested against what it called a renewed attack by the city authorities on the autonomous Rog plant, accusing the mayor of abusing the epidemic, also against NGOs helping those affected by it.

The party said the mayor secured an additional EUR 1.8 million for the Rog project in the revised city budget passed yesterday, while "social and education programmes that have been enriching the city for years will be erased [...] and alternative culture disabled".

17 Jan 2021, 12:11 PM

STA, 16 January 2020 - Slovenia will receive 20-25% less Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than planned on Monday due to production adjustments at, Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne told the press on Saturday. This means the first-dosage vaccination will be delayed, and the whole vaccination plan will need to be adjusted.

Thus, the vaccination that was planned for next week could stretch to February or March, said Magajne, who visited the Celje general hospital today.

In the face of revelations that Covid-19 vaccination at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine was extended to persons who are not staff members, the state secretary reiterated that not a single dose of the vaccine must be wasted and that once ready for use, the vaccine must be used within six hours.

She said all institutions where vaccination had been conducted so far had used the shots in line with recommendations. Health inspectors checked the process and found no major irregularities, she said.

Magajne noted the interest for vaccination among medical workers was rising.

She praised the tackling of the coronavirus situation of the Celje hospital, which had 130 Covid-19 patients this morning, including 18 in intensive care unit.

16 Jan 2021, 13:30 PM

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 15 January 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: Slovenia's future in hands of SMC MPs

STA, 15 January 2021 - The left-wing magazine Mladina appears to be appealing to the conscience of the Modern Centre Party's (SMC) MPs ahead of a potential vote of confidence in the government in the latest editorial. The weekly also finds the release of police pay data is an act of revenge and anger.

Under the headline Decision Week, Mladina writes that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs released the names and pay data of Interior Ministry employees in revenge for part of the police going on strike. However, it also says that the data released make it obvious why the minister was so angry.

"The salaries are irregularly high indeed. Police officers are indeed getting highs bonuses from this government - not based on collective bargaining but based on the government's or the minister's arbitrary decision.

"To put it bluntly: the government has been buying their loyalty with bonuses. That is why Hojs was so angry, because it was his firm belief he has the police on his side, that he has got them on his side with all the bonuses given to them by the government."

The paper says it all goes to show how this government is operating, that the solutions are political and follow the logic that those who are on our side will be rewarded, and those who are against will be punished, a pattern that can be found elsewhere, including in the case of the STA.

Ahead of a potential vote of no confidence in the government next week, the weekly says the decision of Slovenia's future is in the hands of SMC MPs.

"When the SMC joined the Janez Janša government, they pledged to act as a corrective to prevent Slovenia from straying from its democratic path. They did not succeed in that, on the contrary, all gloomy premonitions have come true.

"The police force is beheaded, culture mangled, media that those in power could not reach are under continuous pressure, criticism is not allowed [...], public institutions are witnessing ideological purges, the battle against the epidemic has failed [...]," writes Mladina.

Demokracija: Upbringing benefited by remote schooling

Ljubljana, 14 January 2021 - The right-wing magazine Demokracija writes about the historical trend of political correctness or a "new normal" in the latest editorial, asserting that the spread of this "ideological poison" in Slovenia has been hampered due to the centre-right government and the "Chinese virus", offering distance learning as an example.

Under the headline New Normal, the weekly quotes Archbishop of Krakow Marek Jedraszewski in warning against the rainbow plague, born in the same spirit as the Bolshevist and Marxist plague, and against a new normal, the historial trend of political correctness.

However, the magazine says that as the flow of transmission of that "ideological virus" in Slovenia has been hampered, those disseminating the 'new normal' are "nervous knowing well things are getting out of hand".

"Remote schooling is one such example. If you listen to them well you will notice they will mention the impact on the transfer of knowledge of natural sciences from teachers to pupils only in passing, they are concerned the most about peer socialising and upbringing that is now left to the children themselves and their parents [...]

"If in school the children were forced to spend half a day in the company they did not choose themselves they are now socialising with the peers they pick themselves. Those are usually the kids their parents favour too. It means they are no longer being raised into sheep where the wolfs of the 'new normal' decide what they serve for dinner."

As the second example the magazine offers the government, saying the 'new normal' "does not foresee anything conservative in power, hence the protests (including violent protests), the search for a new PM-designate among people who in normal circumstances would not get even close to politics".

The magazine also notes the announcement by Luka Mesec, the leader of the Left, that if the vote of no confidence in the government is not successful, they will continue filing ouster motions.

In conclusion, the weekly hopes that post-coronavirus "the 'new normal' painted by political correctness will not continue its devastating march, which it is stepping up now by abolishing free internet platforms and profiles of conservative users".

All our posts in this series are here

16 Jan 2021, 11:46 AM

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 8 January

        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government modified its strategy for fighting the coronavirus epidemic in favour of a relaxation of restrictions on a regional basis instead of a nation-wide approach. It said decisions will be made weekly according to a five-tier plan that has thresholds of new cases and hospital figures.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša said he expected his government to continue business as usual after 15 January when the centre-left opposition plans to call a vote of no confidence. Janša noted the likelihood of the vote coinciding with the peak of the coronavirus epidemic. Should this be the case, it would mean the epidemic was being used to serve political goals.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports in November 2020 were up by 0.9% year-on-year, as imports rose by 11.9%, the Statistics Office said. In the January-November period, exports were down by 2.7% and imports dropped by 6.9%.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding said it had filed a suit for the annulment of the sale of a state stake in a venture capital fund shortly before a EUR 360 million worth takeover of the biotech firm Bia Sepparations in which the fund owned a minority interest in excess of 10%. It said it was acting to protect the interests of the state.
        LJUBLJANA - Researcher Nejc Hodnik of the National Chemistry Institute received a grant from the European Research Centre (ERC) Proof of Concept programme to test the commercial potential of his work in the field of hydrogen fuel cell catalysts. Hodnik acquired an ERC Starting Grant in 2019.
        CELJE - An explosion at the main bus station in Celje at around midday was caused by a gas leakage and injured three people. While they were all taken to the local hospital, none of them sustained serious injuries.

SATURDAY, 9 January
        LJUBLJANA - A number of additional activities deemed essential were permitted to reopen, including surveying services, cleaning services, medical pedicure and construction works with zero contact with clients. Museums and galleries were closed again and sports activities restricted.
        LJUBLJANA - Anti-government protestors who were rallying Friday evenings for months filed complaints against the work of police officers during protests, including criminal charges against ten of them. They said they were a target of intentional discreditation.
        BERLIN, Germany - Saša Šavel Burkat took over as the new head of the Slovenian Berlin Culture Centre. The Culture Ministry described the new culture attache as an exceptional connoisseur of contemporary Slovenian and German production.

SUNDAY, 10 January
        DRAŽGOŠE - President Borut Pahor honoured the 79th anniversary of a defining World War II battle as he laid a wreath at the Dražgoše memorial in the north-west of the country. Addressing the media, he was hopeful the nation would be able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence in June united and en masse.

MONDAY, 11 January
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar presented to the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee the background of and Slovenia's planned activities regarding plans by Italy and Croatia to proclaim exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic. The strategy was endorsed unanimously by the committee behind closed doors.
        LJUBLJANA - One of the two police trade unions went on strike to demand higher pay in line with a 2018 agreement that ended a previous strike. PSS trade union head Rok Cvetko said the strike would continue until a deal was clinched with the government, which deems the trade union's demands unjustified.
        LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed the implementation of a law on EUR 780 million in investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2021-2026 pending its final decision on the law's constitutionality. If it turned out the act is unconstitutional, the consequences of its implementation would be more severe than if it is stayed for a relatively short time until it has reached its decision, it said.
        LJUBLJANA - The Economy Ministry unveiled a programme for development incentives for 2021, worth a total of EUR 660 million, including EUR 248 million in grants. The priorities of the programme include providing liquidity to companies and assistance in green and digital transition for higher added value.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Commission spokesperson for competition Arianna Podesta said state aid rules enable EU member states to grant state aid to press agencies as compensation for services of general economic interest, as she commented on the Slovenian government's decision to solicit a state aid opinion from the Commission following legislative changes adopted to secure financing for the STA.
        LJUBLJANA - The number of deaths in Slovenia in 2020 is expected to be the highest since WWII based on data collected so far by the National Institute of Public Health. The number of excess deaths in 2020 compared to 2019 was 3,153, 262 were not related to Covid-19. Compared to the last five years, excess deaths reached 3,821, of which 930 were deaths not related to Covid-19.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia along with Belgium and the Netherlands became the new host country of the rescEU mechanism, providing storage of medical equipment for fighting cross-border medical threats. The countries involved in the project receive funding from the EU Commission to create strategic supplies of the equipment to be distributed around Europe.

TUESDAY, 12 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - PM Janez Janša and NIJZ director Milan Krek presented Slovenia's vaccination plan until the end of June, as vaccination was launched around the country. The country expects to get some 17,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine a week until the end of March, or a total of 245,500 doses. People older than 80 will thus be vaccinated first, to be followed by those older than 70 in the last week of January.
        LJUBLJANA - The highly virulent variants of the SARS-Cov-2 virus known as the UK and South African strains have not been detected in Slovenia so far, said Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute of Microbiology. The institute processes roughly half of all PCR tests done in the country.
        LJUBLJANA - Concern was raised after the Interior Ministry released a document with pay data for nearly 9,000 members of the police force and ministry employees, including criminal investigators and members of special forces. While this information is public knowledge according to the law governing freedom of information, the General Police Directorate believes the list's publication "may affect internal security in the police". Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that the "operative part" of the police force would be extracted from the single public sector pay system.
        LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj announced that 9,500 elderly in Slovenia's care homes had already received the first of the two Covid-19 vaccine jabs, which means almost all of those who had not yet recovered from the disease, and just over 3,000 or a quarter of the staff.
        LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council made a renewed call for transparent and temporary coronavirus relief measures, finding the actual realisation of the measures last year was below government projections but had a significant impact on the worsening state of public finances. Preliminary data put the budget deficit for 2020 at EUR 3.5 billion.
        LJUBLJANA - Karl Erjavec announced that four MPs of his Pensioners's Party (DeSUS), which left the government coalition in December, would contribute their signatures in support of a motion of no-confidence in the Janez Janša government. This would mean the informal Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), which brings together five left-leaning parties in a bid to oust the government, has 43 votes secured, three short of the required majority.
        MARIBOR - An underage girl was killed after she was hit by a passenger train with preliminary police inquiries indicating she and her friend had been taking photos on the tracks. While the investigation is ongoing, the police ruled out foul play and suicide.

WEDNESDAY, 13 January
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government decided to extend a vast majority of existing coronavirus restrictions until 22 January. It also extended the formal state of the epidemic by 60 days.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša called for speeding up vaccination as he attended an informal video conference of EU health ministers on Covid-19 vaccination in his capacity as health minister. He also proposed increasing capacities for vaccine production within the EU.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's total of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic rose to 145,478 with 23,167 infections still estimated to be active and an average of 1,535 daily cases confirmed over the past 7 days, data from the National Institute of Public Health show. The Covid-19 death toll climbed to 3,093. Hospitalisations rose to 1,266 with 199 patients in intensive care.
        LJUBLJANA - The KSJS association of public sector trade unions, acting through a police union, brought a collective labour dispute to demand all public employees who have worked in their workplace during the coronavirus epidemic get a bonus amounting to 65% of hourly pay for risk working conditions for all the hours put in during the formal duration of the epidemic.
        LJUBLJANA - The EU Court of Justice ordered Slovenia to pay a EUR 750,000 fine for failing to timely transpose into national legislation the 2016 changes to the EU directive on markets in financial instruments or failing to notify the European Commission about this.

THURSDAY, 14 January
        LJUBLJANA - The government set up a task force for trilateral talks with Croatia and Italy on cooperation in the northern part of Adriatic Sea after the three countries' foreign ministers agreed to enhance cooperation in Trieste last December amid plans by Croatia and Italy to declare exclusive economic zones.
        HELSINKI, Finland - Foreign Minister Anže Logar set out the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year as he met his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto and Europe Minister Tytti Tuppurainen during a working visit to Helsinki. He was also received by President Sauli Niinisto.
        LJUBLJANA - The government provisionally approved the release of overdue budget payments to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) as required by the 7th economic stimulus package. The funds were cleared based on a message by EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager which "indicates the possibility of a positive European Commission decision regarding the transfer of state aid for the STA" as the government awaits a final decision, the Government Communication Office said.
        CELJE - President Borut Pahor joined appeals to the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19 when their turn to get a jab comes. He believes immunisation will make it possible to end the health crisis this year.
        LJUBLJANA - Jelko Kacin, the government's Covid-19 spokesman, was named state secretary at the prime minister's office tasked with coordinating the logistics of mass vaccination, effective on 18 January.

16 Jan 2021, 10:40 AM

STA, 15 January 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has described the motion of no confidence in his government as "mischievous", a "pathetic outpour of ideological hatred" to those who think differently.

Opposition Files Motion of No Confidence in Janša Govt

Writing on Twitter, he said this would be comical were Slovenia not in the middle of a bad wave of the epidemic, adding that the initiators' principle seems to be "the more of the virus, the better for KUL," a reference to the informal coalition seeking to oust him.

The response comes after a motion of no confidence was submitted on Friday with 42 MP signatures and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) candidate Karl Erjavec as candidate for prime minister. To succeed, the initiators would need 46 votes.

Janša also responded to a post by the Social Democrats (SD) listing 46 reasons why the government must be replaced. He said that what they need most of all is "a mirror, common sense, and a president who is not being eaten away by ideological hatred and can count to 46 and is thus capable of running for prime minister."

15 Jan 2021, 16:19 PM

STA, 15 January 2021 - An informal coalition of centre-left opposition parties has filed a motion of no confidence in the Janez Janša government with the backing of 42 of the 90 deputies of the National Assembly. The crux of their argument is the government's failure to cope with the coronavirus epidemic.

The motion, which puts forward Karl Erjavec as candidate for prime minister, was submitted after one of the four deputies of his Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) declined to contribute his signature in support.

Apart from the three DeSUS MPs, the signatures have been supplied by MPs from the ranks of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), the Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), joined in the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL).

Announcing that the long-awaited motion had been tabled at last, Erjavec said he regretted they had only 42 signatures, but added: "I'm convinced we can succeed. The country's de-normalisation needs to be stopped.

"Violation of fundamental constitutional principles needs to be prevented such as interference in the judiciary, prevention of media freedom, interference in the police, state prosecution [...] I'm not going to go into details that you can all follow."

Erjavec went on to say that Slovenia's international status today was quite different from the one 30 years ago. "Our partners are countries that have problems with the rule of law and we've moved away from the core Europe."

Him as well as the leaders of the four other parties also took the government to task over its management of the coronavirus crisis, asserting that Slovenia was a global leader in terms of coronavirus infections and deaths.

"The government has caused great confusion and people's distrust of the measures, which means they don't trust this government," said Erjavec as he argued the government should step down itself for mismanaging the epidemic alone.

If they manage to form a government, Erjavec said it would not be his government but a government of people who wanted Slovenia return on track.

Should they fail, he believes the opposition parties must tie up closer together because the centre-left bloc is dispersed. "Unless we end this dark story next week, I trust we will in the next election," he said.

Earlier, DeSUS MP Branko Simonovič said he could not sign on to a motion that was tantamount to a motion of no confidence in the party considering that DeSUS member Tomaž Gantar had served as health minister until the party quitted the government in late December.

In a written statement, Simonovič added that in the secret ballot on the motion at the National Assembly next week he "will vote for the benefit of the citizens".

Meanwhile, the head of the DeSUS deputy faction, Franc Jurša, addressing reporters after the morning meeting with Erjavec, said that while three DeSUS MPs would sign on to the motion, they planned not to join KUL, but would continue as an independent deputy faction.

"I believe the heads must cool down a bit, in particular in DeSUS," Erjavec commented, adding that he believed the outcome of the secret ballot could be quite different. "If we fail, it means MPs support politics that even Europe no longer understands," he said.

The secret ballot on the no-confidence motion is expected to be held on Wednesday when Erjavec will need to get an outright majority of 46 votes to replace Janša as prime minister.

Marjan Šarec, the previous PM and LMŠ leader, noted that his minority government too had 42 MPs in parliament until he resigned in late January, thus paving the way for the Janša centre-right government.

If the vote of no confidence succeeded, Šarec said it would be a victory of the rule of law, if not, it would be a win of dark forces. "The vote will show who's for the situation as it is, and who's for putting the country back on track, so it can preside the EU without having to feel ashamed," he said.

Likewise, SD leader Tanja Fajon said they would do everything in their power to replace what she said was a harmful government. They had no intention of repeating the mistakes of past left-leaning governments, and planned to work until the end of the term.

SAB leader Alenka Bratušek, who served as prime minister during the previous financial crisis when Slovenia was on the verge of an international bailout, lambasted the government's coronavirus strategy and communication.

Luka Mesec, the leader of the Left, accused Janez Janša of copying the politics of outgoing US President Donald Trump, a continuation of which would lead to the state falling apart. The vote would be a test of whether the MPs followed their conscience or political career.

Page 75 of 206

Photo galleries and videos

This websie uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.