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Erjavec's bid to become PM-designate was withdrawn yesterday due to Covid-19 infections in parliament, however the opposition still plans to go ahead with the procedure when all MPs are able to vote in person.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insults or threats has been Branko Simonovič, a DeSUS MP who decided not to contribute his signature to the now withdrawn no-confidence motion.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.

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.

STA, 5 January 2020 - An informal coalition of centre-left opposition parties will table a motion of no-confidence in the Janez Janša government on 15 January, Karl Erjavec, the leader of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), who has been tipped for prime minister-designate, announced on Tuesday.

Erjavec, addressing reporters in front of the parliament building after a meeting of the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), said he expected the motion to be signed by 43 MPs, three short of an outright majority needed for the vote to succeed.

Apart from DeSUS, KUL also includes the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), the Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which do not have enough MPs between them for the motion to succeed.

They would need to win over potential defectors from the coalition, in particular the centrist Modern Centre Party (SMC), which they do not appear to be succeeding at.

Erjavec said they would go ahead with the motion regardless of how many MPs signed on to it, but also said that informal talks would continue with SMC representatives and he expected a majority of 46 votes to be mustered in the secret ballot.

After a party council session last week, the SMC said it was not supporting Erjavec for prime minister-designate. Still, Erjavec invited the party to talks, but said today he had not yet received a response.

Four of the five centre-left KUL parties have already supported Erjavec's bid to try to form an alternative government, while the Left will take a decision on Wednesday. Erjavec is confident they will support him.

He expects the required majority to be clinched in the secret ballot in parliament to elect a new prime minister. "There's quite some time left until the no-confidence motion is filed," he said, adding that it was vital for the National Assembly to say what politics it wanted going forward.

He said the purpose of the motion was not to bring down the government, but to "stop the destruction of the country ..., the government is failing in the epidemic, independence of institutions is jeopardised, media freedom is being interfered in".

Adding that they would like to stop the country's demonisation, he repeated that they did not want Slovenia to be in a group of non-core EU countries such as Hungary or Poland.

While DeSUS own MPs have not made their position fully clear after the party formally resigned from the coalition last month, Erjavec counts on their votes as well. He expects four of the five to support the no-confidence motion as he meets them next Tuesday.

The remaining four KUL parties have 39 MPs in the 90-strong legislature.

Erjavec said that Jože Podgoršek was violating DeSUS's rules by failing to resign as agriculture minister following the party's quitting the government, which would be put to party bodies for discussion. He expects him to be expelled from the party.

The other DeSUS government member, Tomaž Gantar, stepped down as health minister on 18 December, a day after DeSUS left the ruling coalition.

Commenting for the STA, Podgoršek said it was on Erjavec's initiative that DeSUS bodies decided for the two ministers not to quit the government, leaving it up to PM Janša to decide on the matter. This was why he stayed on in the government.

Asked about his further staying in the ministerial post, Pogoršek said he would continue to act constructively and in the interests of the state as he had so far.

Erjavec said earlier that the resolutions of the party council and executive committee were perfectly clear. He said the decision was taken mainly for the sake of the health minister so that he would not be reproached for abandoning the government overnight considering the situation. They expected Podgoršek so follow suit when Janša was to give up Gantar.

STA, 29 December 2020 - The opposition Social Democrats (SD) leadership endorsed on Tuesday Karl Erjavec, the leader of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), as a candidate for prime minister-designate. The SD also backed the formation of an alternative government and filing a constructive motion of no confidence in the government.

The SD finds it key for the potential new government to focus on tackling the health, economic and social crises until the general elections in 2022 and to set up foundations for Slovenia's development up to 2030 as well as boost public services, particularly healthcare and elderly care, SD leader Tanja Fajon said as quoted in a press release issued after a session of SD leadership.

She believes a new government would mean "the restoring of trust, normalisation of the situation and end of harsher communication that has deepened the divides among us". The SD would like to see the return of Slovenia as "an example of a democratic, green and innovative country".

To achieve this goal the party discussed today the informal KUL coalition programme priorities as well as development strategy.

The Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL) has been formed by the SD, the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

After Erjavec announced last week that the vote of no confidence would be filed by year's end, his statement on Monday suggests that the step may not be carried out this year.

Following a meeting with KUL representatives, Erjavec said yesterday that they had agreed to invite the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) for talks, noting "it is clear that we also need support by the SMC party if we want a new government".

The SMC is to discuss the invitation on Wednesday. However, the party said almost two weeks ago that it did not support Erjavec as candidate for prime minister-designate.

The LMŠ and SAB backed Erjavec prior to the SD's endorsement, and the Left is expected to decide on the matter at the start of 2021, the party told the STA today.

STA, 22 December 2020 - After meeting representatives of the informal KUL coalition on Tuesday, Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) president Karl Erjavec announced that a motion for a constructive vote of no confidence in the government would be filed next week or by the end of the year. He expects that the required 46 MP votes will have been secured by then.

Speaking to the press after meeting the heads of the left-leaning opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), the Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), which form the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), Erjavec said it had also been agreed that the parties' bodies would confirm him as a candidate for a prime minister-designate.

According to the DeSUS president, this is important because it has been widely speculated lately that this role could be assumed by someone else. The confirmation means a guarantee that once the motion is submitted, he will be the candidate.

While Erjavec told the STA on Monday that he would be a candidate for a prime minister-designate only if at least 46 signatures of MPs were secured, it seems now that the motion may be submitted in any case.

He expects that a sufficient number of signatures will be collected by the end of the year and claims that "things are looking good and we are very close".

Erjavec added that the informal coalition was following the recommendation by President Borut Pahor, who called after Monday's meeting of senior state officials for the political situation in the country be resolved as soon as possible.

After DeSUS member Tomaž Gantar recently resigned as health minister as the party left the coalition, Prime Minister Janez Janša took over as interim health minister, so Erjavec believes that this means that Janša has assumed the responsibility for the current Covid-19 situation.

"We see what the results are. This is also one of the reasons why we want a new government. We think that this trend continuing would be irresponsible," he said, noting that DeSUS, which advocated the elderly, could not stand and watch.

According to him, the motion is also an opportunity for MPs to change this politics which, "as far as the epidemic is concerned, is unsuccessful". He pointed to certain moves by the government, including concerning the media and financing of NGOs.

"This is dismantling of social systems," said Erjavec, who primarily expects from the deputies of the Modern Centre Party (SMC), who according to him do not feel well in the government, to take responsibility for changing the situation in the country.

SMC head and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said last week that all eight SMC deputies were united in their non-support for Erjavec, but the DeSUS president assesses that the statement lacks credibility as it later turned out that this is not the case.

Asked what would happen if SMC deputies fail to contribute their signatures, Erjavec said that "this means that the structure of this National Assembly supports ... the absence of the rule of law, attacks on the media, non-financing of NGOs".

Meanwhile, SMC MP Gregor Perič told a current affairs show on TV Slovenija that MPs faced increasing pressure and that things had gone too far. "We receive mail to our home addresses, emails, there are threats, more or less veiled offers. The political arena is reaching a boiling point."

Other MPs do not talk about this because they fear making things worse, said Perič, in whose constituency signs had been placed wondering whether he was a hero or a traitor.

Erjavec reiterated that DeSUS guarantees four MP votes for a potential new government. The fifth MP, Robert Polnar, has already been expelled from the party and Erjavec expects him to withdraw from the DeSUS deputy group.

A civil initiative has meanwhile expressed support for the government of Janez Janša and the MPs who cooperate with it, as it believes that it, with the help of the healthcare system, is successful in tackling the Covid-19 epidemic and its consequences.

Prebudimo Slovenijo (Let's Wake Up Slovenia) added that the moment that some parties had picked to undermine the government was not selected randomly and that an attempted return was being made by "those for whom democracy is only means to make personal gains".

STA, 21 December 2020 - The December public opinion poll carried out by pollster Ninamedia for the newspapers Večer and Dnevnik shows some changes for the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and New Slovenia (NSi), whereas the ruling Democrats (SDS) remain the strongest political party. The government support has meanwhile further dropped.

The SDS leads the way with 20.6%, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) with 11.8% and the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) with 11.7%.

The opposition Left garnered 9.1% support - its best result in a Vox Populi poll this year - to place fourth.

The coalition NSi dropped to its lowest this year - from 6.5% in January to 3.8% in December, its worst result in 2020.

It thus came close to the sixth-placed DeSUS party, which improved its position from 2.5% in November to 3.7% after leaving the government coalition last week.

The opposition Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) garnered 2.9%, the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS) 2.2%, the opposition National Party (SNS) 2% and the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) 0.1%.

Another 23.5% of those polled did not know which party they would vote for and another 6.9% would not go to the polls at all.

Judging by the voters who clearly stated their party preferences, the SDS would win 29 seats in the 90-strong parliament in a general election was held last weekend.

The SD and the LMŠ would each get 16 seats, the Left 13, DeSUS and NSi each 5 and SAB 4. The other parties would not enter parliament.

The informal KUL coalition members - the SD, LMŠ, Left and SAB - would thus have a combined 49 seats, and 54 if joined by DeSUS.

On the other hand, the SDS and NSi would have a total of 34 MPs between them.

The poll also shows low government support, with 64.9% saying it performed unsuccessfully and 30.9% successfully.

The respondents were also asked whether they supported the Constitutional Arch Coalition's (KUL) plan to file a vote of no-confidence in the Janez Janša government, with slightly more than 48% saying yes and slightly more than 45% no.

As for the popularity of politicians, President Borut Pahor remains at the top of the rankings, followed by MEP Ljudmila Novak (EPP/NSi) and now already former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, who overtook SD leader and MEP Tanja Fajon (S&D).

The poll was carried out among 700 adults between 15 and 17 December.

STA, 15 December2020 - The top bodies of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) will meet on Thursday to discuss whether or not the party should leave the coalition, party leader Karl Erjavec said on Tuesday, noting that there was pressure from the rank-and-file, dissatisfied with the government's work.

Erjavec made the statement after meeting the leaders of the four centre-left parties that make up the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL), which wants to unseat the government with a vote of no confidence that requires the proponents to muster an absolute majority in parliament and put forward a candidate for prime minister-designate.

While the parties initially coalesced around the economist Jože P. Damijan, Erjavec has been offered the job of prime minister as well. Erjavec said today he was indeed one of the candidates, subject to approval by the party's decision-making bodies.

Listing the reasons why DeSUS should leave the coalition, Erjavec said the party membership was dissatisfied with ideological issues, attacks on the media, and Slovenia's closer relations with Hungary and Poland. The government is also at a loss for solutions about the coronavirus epidemic.

However, DeSUS alone joining KUL will not be enough to form a new government coalition. In response to Erjavec's announcement today, Zdravko Počivalšek, the head of the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), which has also been wooed by KUL, again rejected the possibility of leaving the coalition.

He said he wanted to finish what the coalition had started and reiterated the party's position that a constructive vote of no confidence would be an irresponsible and destructive move at a time when the country is amidst an epidemic.

The opposition Left meanwhile welcomed Erjavec's announcement, also expressing hope that a part of SMC MPs would leave the party in the wake of news that Počivalšek is being investigated by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption over personal protective equipment purchasing.

Meanwhile, Marjan Šarec, the head of the namesake opposition party LMŠ, said he would endorse Erjavec for prime minister.

Erjavec returned as party leader in early December after an eight-month hiatus and has since made several steps seen as an attempt at a break with the coalition, including by declaring he did not wish to be a minister in a Janez Janša government.

Last week Erjavec reportedly proposed to the DeSUS deputy group that the party should leave the coalition, but his effort was thwarted after four of the five DeSUS MPs rejected the move.

Indeed, deputy Robert Polnar, an outspoken critic of Erjavec, said four MPs were willing to quit the party and go independent unless "things calm down".

Now, Erjavec said the party's council would vote on a motion to exclude Polnar, which he said should mean he would also be ejected from the deputy group.

Erjavec says the motion came from the municipal unit of the party of which Polnar is a member, with allegations ranging from inappropriate statements to insulting the party.

Polnar decried Erjavec's premiership ambitions as an experiment, likening the recent meeting with him to "a surrealist German film" in which the protagonist does not know whether or not he is in a dream.

In today's response for the STA, the MP said this was not an important issue for him at the moment as he was preoccupied with the latest anti-coronavirus legislative package as the chair of the parliamentary Finance Committee.

"It seems to me that this is much more important for the country than me dealing with Karl Erjavec," he said, adding that he had a seat in parliament in line with the constitution.

"I'm not bound by any instructions and I will not be bound by any instructions in the future," Polnar concluded.

STA, 2 November 2020 - Four opposition parties accused the government at an ongoing emergency parliament session on Monday of brutal staffing and of undermining the independence of sovereign institutions, but the government insisted that the replacements had been legal and that having the right personnel was crucial for effective work.

Nik Prebil of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), which demanded the session along with the SocDems (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), expressed indignation over what he sees as an excessive amount of replacements at key posts, which on top of that come amid a health crisis.

Speaking of an attempt to change society and undermine democratic standards, he highlighted replacements in the police force, in particular at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), in the Armed Forces, at both intelligence agencies, the Statistics Office and at the Financial Administration.

His LMŠ colleague Brane Golubović said the government was "exploiting the epidemic to settle accounts with anyone disagreeing with it". Institutions are being subjugated in particular "where investigations need to be stopped", with servility being prioritised over competences in the appointments.

The Left's Nataša Sukič accused the government of authoritarian tendencies, arguing the Left did not accept the view that each government can appoint submissive staff to government agencies. Some should stay independent, she said.

Boštjan Koražija, also an MP for the Left, said that "when Janez Janša rules, experts need to become subservient to politics". He added that the extensive replacements did not help people feel secure during a health crisis.

Government representatives and the opposition National Party (SNS) rejected the accusations, with Interior Minister Aleš Hojs expressing surprise over the opposition calling an emergency session because the government was simply doing its job. He argued it was crucial that the right staff occupied certain posts.

Defence Ministry State Secretary Uroš Lampret defended the replacement at the ministry, including of the chief of staff and the OVS intelligence and security agency, saying they were completely in line with the practice so far.

Lampret added trust and compatibility with the minister were important due to the sensitive nature of these posts.

Economy Ministry State Secretary Ajda Cuderman touched on the reproaches concerning the planned merger of several regulators into two agencies, assuring parliament that none of the current directors of the eight agencies would have to end their term prematurely because of the merger but would continue their work at one of the new agencies.

Democrat (SDS) MP Branko Grims said denying the government the right to make legal replacements, to appoint competent people able of pursing beneficial politics, was perverted.

Dušan Verbič of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) added former prime ministers had done so too, while Blaž Pavlin of New Slovenia (NSi) pointed to Janša's predecessor Marjan Šarec directly saying staffing changes were needed for any change to take place.

"Some of us speak about this openly and transparently, while some are hiding behind all kinds of masks of alleged neutrality," Pavlin added.

Meanwhile, Maša Kociper of the opposition SAB agreed that governments usually appointed people they trusted. However she added that what stood out under the current government were appointments of individuals with extremely clear political affiliation.

Predrag Baković of the SocDems moreover disagreed with the argument the replacement had been legal, pointing to a court verdict that explicitly declared the dismissal of Darko Muženič as NBI head illegal.

The opposition MPs drew up a number of recommendations, which for instance call on the government to focus on the health crisis and refrain from political interference in the sovereignty and professional work of state institutions. The National Assembly will not vote on them, since they were already rejected last week by the Home Affairs Committee.

Today's session is the first ever with the option of remote participation due to the epidemic, but only one MP, Samo Bevk of the SocDems, has made use of this possibility.

STA, 7 October 2020 - The leaders of the four centre-left opposition parties have confirmed they have launched talks to form an alternative to the Janez Janša government based on an initiative led by economist Jože P. Damijan, who is willing to become prime minister.

Marjan Šarec, the former prime minister and leader of the LMŠ party, told reporters on Wednesday that the basis for talks was the Constitutional Arch Coalition initiative presented by Damijan.

The LMŠ, Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) deem the manifesto presented by Damijan acceptable because it contains points from their own platforms, which makes it a good basis for talks.

Šarec said they wanted to lead talks away from cameras and microphones. As for support to Damijan, he said nobody was bothered by him "but at this point we can't say we've reached common ground on everything already".

Despite differences of opinion in the past, SD leader Tanja Fajon said the four parties wanted a better country in which there would be more respect for democracy, independence of regulators, media, the constitution and laws. Asked about support to Damijan, she said everyone agreed in this initial phase that this was a good basis for further talks.

"Our country is being captured under the pretext of coronavirus. There's no time to wait for elections, an alternative must be formed here and now," said the leader of the Left Luka Mesec. He said Damijan was an appropriate candidate, and that if an agreement was reached, he would get the Left's support.

Alenka Bratušek said her party had committed to do everything in its power to re-establish a centre-left government, asserting that she believed "we are capable of agreeing on what needs to be done", and on staffing. But she said the programme must be agreed on first, only then came staffing decisions. She said whoever would get the most votes would be the new prime minister.

The four parties have a combined 39 seats in the 90-strong National Assembly, so they will also invite the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) to join the talks, to "give them an opportunity to jump off the train of madness that is hurtling into ruin", as Bratušek put it.

However, the two junior coalition parties do not seem impressed by the initiative, with SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek and interim DeSUS leader Tomaž Gantar rejecting it downright.

According to Počivalšek, leading a government "takes courage, going to the election, getting a mandate and executing what you plan". "But at this moment there is no alternative to this government," he told the STA.

Gantar said the matter did not warrant a commentary, arguing similar proposals have become a regular occurrence in the media. He has so far not heard of a good alternative to the current government, which he feels is doing a good job.

Gantar said the information that Karl Erjavec will attempt a comeback to the helm of the party would not affect DeSUS's position in the government. He said Erjavec had made no mention of not being able to work with Janša.

Matej Tonin meanwhile said New Slovenia (NSi) was interested in the platform of the initiative and the number of votes it would have in parliament. He told the STA the NSi was a party of dialogue and was ready to talk. But the NSi has not been invited to talks, he said on Facebook.

"I assess Slovenia needs a stable and homogeneous government in these crucial moments. The last thing we can afford in this situation is a political crisis and experimenting with some kind of transitional government," Tonin wrote.

Janša responded to the initiative by tweeting that "naming a small group of left and far-left parties and tiny parties a constitutional arch means to ridicule both the Slovenian language and Slovenia's constitutional order". "By definition a constitutional arch requires the representation of at least two-thirds of the electorate," he added.

The manifesto of the Constitutional Arch Coalition sets out as priorities an effective response to the coronavirus crisis in healthcare; infrastructure for a kind future; modern infrastructure, science and culture; a green and digital transformation and stimulating technological development and the marketing of breakthrough ideas.

As an effective response to the health crisis the manifesto calls for an immediate creation of regional centres to treat Covid-19 patients, and a plan to reduce waiting times. Health funding is to be increased by 1% of GDP in 2021 and by 3% of GDP by 2025.

To increase social security, the manifesto proposes introducing a minimum universal income and incorporating top-up health insurance in mandatory contributions by raising contribution rates.

Higher contribution rates would also fund a system of long-term care, while a demographic fund would help fund the burden of demographic transition.

The manifesto also promises affordable housing for young people and new capacities for elderly in care homes and sheltered apartments, which would be funded by transforming part of the Bank Assets Management Company into a housing fund.

The document also lists free pre-school care and education for all children, regulation of flexible forms of employment and distance jobs with full social security for all forms of work.

To fund the construction and renovation of the rail network, new schools and hospitals, the manifesto proposes to create an investment fund by issuing 30-year infrastructure bonds on the domestic market.

The manifesto also proposes for budget funding of research and development to be raised to 1% of GDP by 2025 and increasing culture funds by 20%.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 2 October 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: The way to a new govt

STA, 2 October 2020 - The left-leaning magazine Mladina argues in the latest editorial that the only way to stop Slovenia being turned into a "little Hungary" is to find a non-partisan candidate for PM and a merger between several current coalition and opposition parties.

The editor-in-chief Grega Repovž lambastes the opposition for its response to calls this week to close its ranks and establish whether it is capable before the election to stop "Slovenia's being turned into a little Hungary with one leader and one party and its satellites, with limited media freedom, party-run economy etc.".

He finds it ludicrous that former PM Marjan Šarec should have offered himself as a candidate considering that he had blown his chances as PM by "stupidly" resigning, after showing himself as a bad leader.

Repovž goes on to say that the prospects for Šarec's LMŠ party are not promising, as are not for the Left and its leader Luka Mesec, who lost credibility in voters' eyes when it parted their ways with the Šarec-led coalition.

Voters blame the Left and the LMŠ for bringing PM Janez Janša to power, and "the arrival of something new", i.e. a new party, will be destructive for both, writes Repovž, adding: "And this new something will arrive."

He goes on to say that SocDem leader Tanja Fajon neither has the political power nor skills to be PM and does not appear to be capable of strengthening her party.

For anything to change, it has to be in the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), Repovž says, adding that while DeSUS might survive, the SMC has no future as an independent party, while both parties know they cannot recover as long as they continue in coalition with PM Janez Janša.

"The only serious chance for a potential attempt to form a coalition is a candidate for PM who does not belong to any of the parties and is a powerful enough personality (a former publicly esteemed politician) on the one hand, and a process to form a new political party within the current parliament on the other."

Repovž proposes a merger between the SMC, SAB and DeSUS and possibly another party, saying that the whole proposition seems unlikely but is the only way out of the current situation, while anything else is hopeless.

Reporter: Scenarios for a new government

STA, 28 September 2020 - The right-wing weekly Reporter looks at potential scenarios that could lead to a new government in the latest editorial, saying that unless the Janez Janša government gets a vote of no confidence by the end of the year or by the end of the winter, the third Janša's government will be firmly in the saddle until the next election in the spring of 2020.

Janša is back in power not so much thanks to the voters of the Democrats (SDS), who gave the party the most votes in the June 2018 election, but primarily thanks to Marjan Šarec, who resigned as prime minister at the end of January and his coalition partners, who denied him support, starting with the Left.

And now this left-leaning lot is working on creating a new government, editor-in-chief Silvester Šurla says. They say that they could agree on at least five key projects but the problem is they cannot agree on who would be the new prime minister.

Former PM Alena Bratušek has sensed the opportunity to return to power and could offer to be a compromise solution, as Šarec and SocDem leader Tanja Fajon have publicly clashed, both wanting the post.

Šarec's argument is that his LMŠ party still has the most votes among left parties, while Fajon claims it would be ridiculous if Šarec became prime minister again, given that he had resigned from the post.

However, the LMŠ, SD, SAB and the Left have only 39 votes in the 90-member parliament, so they would have to get at least seven votes from the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Modern Centre Party (SMC) for their no-confidence motion to succeed.

After Aleksandra Pivec resigned as DeSUS head the chances of at least four of its MPs changing sides are a little bit bigger. But in that case at least three SMC MPs would also be required. Some say that even SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek could change sides.

But these are nothing but political calculations. In the 30-year-history of independent Slovenia, the country has never had three governments in a single term and the left has never been so fragmented, Šurla says.

Perhaps, everything is merely a show for voters of left-leaning parties. So that their leaders could say that they did what they could to beat Janša but failed. "Taking on the responsibility and rule in these difficult times of the epidemic and multi-billion gap in the state budget is no walk in the park."

Only the SD has a relatively stable election base, while the LMŠ, Left and SAB do not, so their interest is primarily political survival. Hence their selfishness and political calculations. The joint interests of the left bloc come second to them. Being a veteran politician Janša knows that very well, Šurla says under the title Mission Impossible, Part III.

All our posts in this series are here