Agriculture Minister Podgoršek resigns over hotel bill payment
LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek resigned on Wednesday after he became the target of media scrutiny over a lack of clarity regarding the payment of his weekend stay at an upscale hotel in Bohinj in January. He said he was "resigning exclusively due to the late payment of the bill", and was accepting responsibility for this.
SAB and LMŠ slip below parliamentary threshold in Ninamedia poll
LJUBLJANA - The tracking poll conducted by Ninamedia for the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer shows the Freedom Movement and the ruling Democrats (SDS) remaining in the lead ahead of Sunday's general election, projected to win 26.3% and 25.5%, respectively. The Connecting Slovenia alliance is projected to make it to parliament, whereas the centre-left opposition parties LMŠ and SAB risk being squeezed out. The Left ranks third at 8.8%.
High turnout on first day of early voting
LJUBLJANA - Early voting for the 24 April general election started on Tuesday with voter turnout three times higher than on the first day of early voting in the 2018 general election. According to the National Election Commission, 35,754 or 2.1% of the 1,695,766 eligible voters cast their ballots, which compares to 11,713 or 0.68% in the 2018 election.
Tonin touts NSi as guarantee for good government
LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin described the ministerial team of his Christian democratic party as the most efficient part of the current government as New Slovenia (NSi) held a campaign convention. He said Slovenia deserved a good government, but there could not be such a government without the NSi. He said the key battle on Sunday would be for the third spot because it would decide "the colour" of the next ruling coalition where he said the NSi would guarantee a bright future.
Connecting Slovenia highlights role of cooperation
LITIJA - The alliance Connecting Slovenia, which includes the coalition party Concretely, stressed the importance of cooperation and rural development at their final major event ahead of the general election on Sunday. "We are proving that it is possible to do things differently, that Slovenia can breathe with both left and right lungs, that we need to think about all regions, that living in the countryside must become a privilege again, and that no one should be left behind," the alliance said.
Šarec makes one last appeal to voters to back LMŠ
LJUBLJANA - Marjan Šarec, the former prime minister, addressed the final event of his LMŠ party ahead of Sunday's election, declaring that a vote for the LMŠ was a vote for perseverance, principles, public healthcare and public education. He is convinced Slovenia's next government will be centre-left."We are at a breaking point and on Sunday it will be a referendum on what country we want to live in, because four more years of such a government would bring a demise of democracy," Šarec told the event.
SAB wants to be strong member of centre-left govt
LJUBLJANA - SAB leader Alenka Bratušek stressed that the party's candidates are a responsible team who know what Slovenia needs and thus act accordingly, as she addressed the party's last major event before the general election. She is convinced the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) will be a strong member of the centre-left government, saying that the party had proved to be able to act in hard times.
Slovenia with biggest democratic decline in region in Freedom House report
WASHINGTON, US - Freedom House, a US NGO that evaluates the state of democracy around the world, says in its latest annual report that last year Slovenia saw the biggest democratic decline in the broader region. It also warns that democracy has been in decline in the region for the 18th year in a row.
Slovenia is listed among the six countries that are still labelled as "consolidated democracies", but all suffered score declines due to the "corrosive effects of illiberalism and corruption".
Criminal complaints filed against incumbent and ex-police chiefs
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into alleged political interference in the work of the police filed criminal complaints against Police Commissioner Anton Olaj and against Anton Travner, former police commissioner. They suspect them of workplace bullying and perjury, respectively. In early April, the inquiry filed such preliminary charges against former police commissioner Andrej Jurič for perjury.
Maribor mayor apologises for assaulting teen, will not resign
MARIBOR - Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič regretted the incident in which he got physical with a 13-year-old boy on Easter Sunday after what he said was an act of vandalism. He said he would not to resign as mayor. He apologised to everyone involved and to the public, noting that he had only grabbed the boy by the arms. The teenager's father would not accept the apology.
Slovenian Red Cross sends 55 tonnes of food to Ukraine
LJUBLJANA/UZHHOROD, Ukraine - Six trucks organised by the Slovenian Red Cross delivered 55 tonnes of food and 25,000 litres of water to war-stricken Ukrainians at the end of last week. The aid package will provide 40,000 meals for babies and 112,000 meals for adults, the organisation said in a press release.
Catalan course officially inaugurated at Faculty of Arts
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Faculty of Arts inaugurated a language centre for Catalan as part of its Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. The new course had been available to students since last autumn. The new course is a valuable addition for the faculty, noted Katarina Marinčič, head of the department, as it provides students with the possibility of learning another Romance language.
Monograph launched on Slovenia's independence year
LJUBLJANA - The Catholic publisher Družina and the Government Communication Office launched a monograph chronicling events from 23 December 1990 when Slovenians opted for independence in a referendum and 15 January 1992 when Slovenia was recognised as an independent country by the European Community, the forerunner of the EU. The book, entitled Triumphant Year - Independence Story of Our State Slovenia, brings pictures and articles by 21 authors.
Art from 1930s put on show in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - An exhibition featuring 14 artists associated in the Independent Group of Slovenian Artists whose work makes an important part of the 20th-century Slovenian fine art, opened at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre tonight. Running until 2 October, Outside the Frame features 70 paintings and sculptures and documentary material.
Air passenger traffic in Slovenia up by 46% last year
LJUBLJANA - Air passenger traffic in Slovenia recovered last year from the shock caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the three international airports in the country serving a total of 419,300 passengers or 46% more than in 2020. The lion's share represented passengers served by the Ljubljana airport.
New coronavirus cases up after prolonged weekend
LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,124 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Slovenia on Tuesday, a rise from the same day a week ago that could be attributed to the backlog following the extended Easter weekend. Three infected patients died, Health Ministry data shows.
