STA, 27 April 2022 - Slovenia observes the Day of Uprising Against the Occupation on Wednesday, remembering the day 81 years ago when the Liberation Front, an organisation that spearheaded armed resistance against the occupying forces in WWII, was established.

The main national ceremony took place already last evening on Mala Gora, a hill near Ribnica in the south where an armed clash took place on 13 May 1941 after the occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April.

The location of the ceremony proved to be controversial already last year, when it hosted the resistance day ceremony for the first time.

This year it was questioned by several veteran organisations, the Slovenian president and the parliamentary speaker, neither of whom were in attendance.

While the organisers say it was the site of the first armed clash between the anti-fascist TIGR organisation and the occupying forces, not all veterans or historians agree.

The coordination of patriotic and veteran organisation sees it a "a deliberate attempt to undermine the historical role of the Liberation Front".

The keynote speaker, National Council President Alojz Kovšca, said the TIGR fighters had long been "robbed of their identity" and the organisation's contribution to liberation long ignored, so they deserved the attention.

A number of events will take place around the country today.

President Borut Pahor will open Presidential Palace to members of the public and address them, and lay a wreath at the Liberation Front memorial in Rožna Dolina borough.

A major event will be held on Mt Nanos in the south-west to mark 80 years of one of the first major battles of Partisans in Primorska region.

For Slovenians, WWII started on 6 April 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by bombarding Belgrade.

Slovenian lands were occupied by the Germans, Italians and Hungarians, and a few settlements by the pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia.

The Anti-Imperialist Front, as the Liberation Front was initially known, was formed on 26 April 1941 by representatives of the Communist Party of Slovenia, the Sokoli gymnastic society, the Christian Socialists and a group of intellectuals, but it soon became dominated by the Communist Party.

While its role was never questioned before Slovenia became independent in 1991, not all historian see eye to eye on it now.

While there is no doubt that it helped defeat Nazism and Fascism, the Communists committed summary killings immediate aftermath of WWII, and introduced an undemocratic political system; Slovenians had to wait until 1990 for the first post-WWII multi-party elections.

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Pahor says PM-designate could be proposed around 23 May

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor told election winner Robert Golob he would "fully cooperate" in efforts to make sure Slovenia gets a new government soon. He plans to nominate the prime minister-designate around 23 May, which would pave the way for the appointment of the new government in early June. "We want an operational government before the holiday," Golob said after he was received by Pahor for their first one-on-one after Sunday's election. He said the country needed to get ready if the Covid pandemic surges again, and it needed to prepare for high energy prices in autumn.

Purchase of Boxer armoured vehicles to cost EUR 343m

LJUBLJANA - The purchase of 45 Boxer armoured vehicles that Slovenia plans to acquire through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) will cost EUR 343 million including tax, the Defence Ministry said after the agreement with the OCCAR entered into effect following a Constitutional Court ruling that upheld a ban on a referendum on the matter. The deal involves 45 vehicles with armament, logistics services and project management costs. The purchase is "essential for the creation of the Slovenian Armed Forces' key capacity, which has been delayed for a long time - a medium-sized battalion battlegroup" that Slovenia will contribute "as a serious NATO member."

Janša casts Golob as pro-Russian

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša alleged in a series of Twitter posts that Robert Golob, who defeated him in Sunday's general election with his Freedom Movement, is pro-Russian. "You really called those pro Russian guys "liberals"? Check your sources, please," Janša tweeted this afternoon, tagging a number of foreign media, including The New York Times, Reuters and Fox News. He described the Freedom Party, which foreign media designated as centrist and liberal, as "pro-Russian," backing his claims with alleged pro-Russian positions of the party's backers that he said had an "anti-European, pro-Russian background".

Pahor and Milanović discuss Brdo-Brijuni process

ZAGREB, Croatia - Slovenian President Borut Pahor held working talks with Croatian President Zoran Milanović. The discussion focused on the next Brdo-Brijuni Process meeting and current issues in the region and in Europe. As co-chairs of the initiative, they propose that the next meeting take place in Slovenia, the president's office said. The pair also plan to meet in Rijeka, Croatia on 10 May to mark the 30th anniversary of the Union of Slovenian Associations in Rijeka.

Slovenia ready for military, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine

BERLIN, Germany - Slovenia supports Ukraine in its battle against Russia's aggression and is willing to provide military and humanitarian assistance, Defence Minister Matej Tonin said as he attended a meeting of a 40-country contact group for Ukraine at Ramstein airbase. Tonin used the occasion to talk to his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht about the realisation of an agreement under which Slovenia would give Yugoslav-era tanks to Ukraine via Germany in exchange for newer German-made armoured vehicles.

SD vice-president resigns over poor election result

LJUBLJANA - Jernej Pikalo has stepped down as one of the four vice-presidents of the Social Democrats (SD) over what he says is a poor election result for the party, which has won almost 7% of the vote and will have seven seats in the 90-strong parliament. Pikalo told the STA that he would like to encourage a discussion on what went wrong and how to proceed, adding he could offer a number of reasons for such a poor result. Noting he had nothing to do with it because he had not stood for election, Pikalo believes the idea of social democracy is best for people so it deserves more support than it won.

Doctor sentenced to three years in prison for accepting bribe

LJUBLJANA - Neuroradiologist Zoran Milošević was found guilty on Monday of accepting EUR 101,300 in gifts and of money laundering in a case involving the purchase of brain aneurysm closure coils, and sentenced to three years in prison and fined EUR 50,000. The Ljubljana District Court did not accept the prosecution's proposals to freeze Milošević's medical licence for two years, while ordering that the proceeds of crime be seized and the defendant cover the court fees. The defence has already announced an appeal.

Student wounded in shooting accident in Žužemberk school

ŽUŽEMBERK - A 13-year-old student sustained light injuries when a shot was inadvertently fired from a pistol on Tuesday morning in a primary school in Žužemberk, a small town about 50 kilometres south-east of Ljubljana. The accident was the result of careless handling of the weapon brought to school by a 14-year-old student. The firearm went off in a changing room in the presence of multiple students, Novo Mesto police spokesman Robert Perc said.

Covid situation stable despite spike in new cases

LJUBLJANA - A total of 1,546 new cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Slovenia on Monday, a rise of 1,089 from Monday last week, when testing was low because of Easter. However, the number of estimated active cases in the country has dropped by 1,078 to 15,286 in a day, Health Ministry data shows. There are now 90 patients treated for coronavirus as their main diagnosis at regular Covid wards, down 13 from yesterday, and 15 in intensive care, down 2. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population dropped by 1 to 771. Four persons died.

Slovenia earmarks EUR 10m for environment-friendly lorries

LJUBLJANA - The infrastructure and environment ministries have set aside EUR 10 million from the Climate Fund to promote more environmentally friendly road freight vehicles that run either on electricity or gas. The funds will be distributed to transport operators by electricity market operator Borzen. The grants are intended to co-finance the purchase of gas or electric lorries and buses, new tyres, the retrofitting of vehicles with aerodynamic parts to reduce air resistance and the decommissioning of old vehicles, Vrtovec said on the occasion. This will contribute to ensuring the green transition and lower fuel consumption.

Slovenian researchers get three ERC grants

LJUBLJANA - Projects led by astrophysicist Maruša Bradač, who researches the early history of the universe, and mathematician Franc Forstnerič, who works on Holomorphic partial differential relations, secured nearly EUR 2.1 million and EUR 1.5 million respectively as part of the European Research Council 2021 Advanced Grants competition. Forstnerič's is Slovenia's first ever maths project to win this prestigious grant. A third Advanced Grant, worth EUR 2.5 million, went to Koper Scientific Research Centre historian Borut Klabjan, who explores the history of cross-border practices in the Alps-Adriatic.

Two US Slovenians honoured with Medal of Merit

WASHINGTON - Slovenia has honoured American Slovenians Mark Ryavec and Stephen Antalics with the Medal of Merit for their efforts for the US to recognise independent Slovenia in the early 1990s. Slovenian Ambassador to the US Tone Kajzer handed them the decorations on behalf of President Borut Pahor at the Slovenian Embassy in Washington, DC, on Monday.

Postojna ready to receive orphans from Ukraine

POSTOJNA - A total of 20 orphans from Ukraine, aged 1-7, will arrive in Slovenia in the coming days to be accommodated near Postojna, with Mayor Igor Marentič saying that everything is ready for their arrival and that locals are offering help. The children will presumably arrive on the first day after the May Day holidays, at the start of next week, according to the Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants. The Ukrainian authorities must still give a go-ahead for their relocation.

STA, 26 April 2022 - Prime Minister Janez Janša alleged in a series of posts on Twitter on Tuesday that Robert Golob, who defeated him in Sunday's general election with his Freedom Movement, is pro-Russian, as he reacted to foreign media reports about the election.

"You really called those pro Russian guys "liberals"? Check your sources, please," Janša tweeted this afternoon, tagging a number of foreign media, including The New York Times, Reuters and Fox News.

He described the Freedom Party, which foreign media designated as centrist and liberal, as "pro-Russian," backing his claims with alleged pro-Russian positions of the party's backers that he said had an "anti-European, pro-Russian background".

You really called those pro Russian guys “liberals”? Check your sources, please. @nytimes @FT @cnni @FoxNews @euronews @dwnews @AFP @FRANCE24 @CBCNews @Reuters https://t.co/7m1LdDvCTQ pic.twitter.com/UA02d7e6Hj

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) April 26, 2022

This included a photo of Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković, who endorsed Golob, receiving a medal from Putin several years ago, and a statement by Freedom Movement vice-president Marta Kos in a 20 March interview that it was in Slovenia's interest to have normal relations with Russia.

The Twitter activity comes after Janša aired similar views on election day as he responded to a tweet by the European People's Party (EPP), which caused a stir when it said that it was "worried about the possible Russian interference in the Slovenian elections, which is clearly a consequence of Slovenia's firm & unequivocal support for Ukraine."

The EPP did not explain its position any further.

On Sunday Janša thanked the EPP as he noted that "powerful politicians, decorated by Putin's medals, try to push Slovenia back to the Russian sphere of influence."

He said there was "a strong pro-Russian network in Slovenia with exceptional media, financial and political power. This network sets up a new political party before each election. This time it is called the Freedom Movement".

Hours after polls closed on Sunday, Janša congratulated Golob on victory and said the SDS was always willing to work together with political players for the common good of Slovenia.

STA, 26 April 2022 - A 13-year-old student has sustained light injuries when a shot was inadvertently fired from a pistol on Tuesday morning in a primary school in Žužemberk, a small town about 50 kilometres south-east of Ljubljana.

The accident was the result of careless handling of the weapon brought to school by a 14-year-old student. The firearm went off in a changing room in the presence of multiple students, Novo Mesto police spokesman Robert Perc said.

When the pistol went off, a bullet was fired into the floor and fragments ricocheted into the leg of one student, who was taken to hospital. His injuries were not severe.

Perc said the weapon was a 1990s 9mm pistol from Croatia believed to belong to a late relative of the student who brought it to school.

Police are now trying to determine who is responsible for the pistol being stored in an old abandoned house. "Weapons are not toys and should not be in the hands of minors," Perc said.

A criminal investigation is under way.

STA, 26 April 2022 - Arts and culture NGOs called on Tuesday for the restoration of the reputation of the culture ecosystem as a whole after it was undermined by the outgoing government, and for support of NGOs and freelance culture workers. The head of the National Council for Culture expects an action plan with clear culture-policy goals.

Putting forward its expectations in the face of the pending change in power, the Asociacija group of arts and culture NGOs and freelancers said it wants the new government to secure stability, development and professionalisation, as well as improve the social situation of self-employed culture workers.

Asociacija told the STA the culture ecosystem needed to be built thoughtfully, in a sustainable fashion and "returned to the centre of people's lives".

It said it was necessary to immediately address and fix "the inappropriate attitude toward nongovernmental culture - NGOs and the self-employed, which has permeated almost all areas of the Culture Ministry's activities".

The issues highlighted include "the problematic attitude in the adopted resolution on the National Programme for Culture", the damage and injustices seen in funding for creativity and media content, non-transparent appointments of commissions, and the undermining of NGOs' access to infrastructure and of status requests by freelances.

The NGOs feel that the results of the election could herald a change for the better, with the parties forming the new government having shown some understanding of the issues at hand at the only election campaign debate dedicated to the culture sector.

The head of the National Council for Culture Uršula Cetinski expects the new culture minister to draw up a four-year action plan with clear cultural policy objectives and submit it for public debate within 100 days of taking office.

The adoption of important laws, such as the act on museums and performing arts, could solve many problems, said Cetinski, who also called for a reform of the law on the implementation of public interest in culture.

The boss of Slovenia's pre-eminent arts centre Cankarjev Dom moreover pointed to a host of projects that should be seen as a priority directly by the prime minister, among them the construction of the new national library, "the brain of the country and the nation, which we have been building since 1989 and spent EUR 29.3 million on until 2007".

The restoration of Ljubljana Drama Theatre and the securing of proper premises for the Museum of Natural History should not be delayed either, according to Cetinski.

She is not sure the Culture Ministry should remain in charge of the media segment, noting that "in Europe, some countries are resolving the complex and rapidly changing media landscape under the auspices of economy ministries, which supposedly allows for greater ideological neutrality".

"The Culture Ministry, of course, participates in the financing of deficit content. Perhaps a shift in this segment would give the ministry more space to deal with art that is of particular importance," Cetinski argued.

STA, 25 April 2022 - One of Slovenia's most prolific painters France Slana has died, aged 95, several media reported on Monday. He was most known for his oil paintings and watercolours, but also for his prints, painted ceramics and tapestries. He was one of the 1964 recipients of the Prešeren Fund Prize.

Slana was a painter of classical themes as his work is centred around landscape, figurative and still-life painting.

He often depicted ethnology-related motifs such as typical Slovenian hayracks, barns, mills, wine cellars, interiors of old inns and attic rooms. He is also well known for his paintings of bouquets, roosters, cats and fish.

According to art historian Milojka Kline, he presented glimpses of the everyday life of the common man and the characteristics of their worlds in various moods, spanning from the poetic, imbued with nostalgia, to the effective expressiveness conveyed by the painter's easily recognisable stylisation.

Born in the village Bodislavci in the north-east of Slovenia in 1926, he started painting actively during the Second World War as a member of the Slovenian anti-Nazi resistance movement. In 1949, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, and before that, he took a painting course with acclaimed illustrator Hinko Smrekar, considered one of the pioneers of Slovenian graphic art.

He was well-travelled for the time, having visited France, Norway, Egypt and the US. He had his first solo exhibition in 1953, and afterwards the number of solo shows at home and abroad topped 150.

Slana received the Prešeren Fund Prize in 1964 for a series of works on a quake-stricken Macedonian capital, Skopje, which was ruined by an earthquake in 1963.

In 2013, he released an extensive publication on his work.

STA, 25 April 2022 - The highest turnout in Sunday's general election was recorded in the Ljubljana Centre electoral unit, where it reached 73.6%, and the lowest in the Ptuj electoral unit at 64.4%. Among electoral districts, the Škofja Loka 2 district reached the highest turnout with 78.49%, whereas Lendava saw the lowest turnout at 56.46%.

The National Electoral Commission's (DVK) latest unofficial partial data shows that 1,185,161 voters cast their vote in the election, or 69.83% of the electorate.

Zemljevid volilne udeležbe. Povsod po Sloveniji zares visoka, najbolj v zaledju Ljubljane, najmanj pa na obrobju. A je geografski vzorec podoben kot na prejšnjih volitvah. #Volitve2022 pic.twitter.com/qR6CBFU1vB

— Jernej Tiran (@jernejec) April 25, 2022

According to the Ljubljana - Moste Polje local electoral commission, the voting at the Senožeti polling station had to be extended by 30 minutes and by 10 minutes at Bizovik as they ran out of ballots due to a high turnout but continued without any further complications.

Polls were also open yesterday at 30 Slovenian embassies and consulates abroad. Diplomatic missions and consular posts have reported no voting issues so far.

In line with relevant rules, local electoral commissions are counting today the votes received from Slovenia by mail. The final count for ballots received from abroad will be carried out on 3 May after 12am.

The turnout in the previous general election in 2018 was at 52.64%, almost 20 percentage points lower as this year's. In light of the high voter turnout in the latest election, which is the second-highest in Slovenia's history, the DVK has commended the work of electoral committees.

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Golob to informally meet Pahor, coalition talks to start Tuesday

LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the head of the Freedom Movement party, the election winner, is expected to meet President Borut Pahor informally on Tuesday as the most likely candidate for the prime minister-designate. Talks with the Social Democrats (SD) and Left on forming a new coalition are also expected on that day. Golob discussed the party's priorities and candidates for ministerial posts with Radio Koper, saying his party will also talk potential cooperation with the LMŠ and SAB parties that did not make it into parliament.

Foreign policy analyst expects new govt to pursue moderate rhetoric, continue current govt's good projects

LJUBLJANA - Political analyst Marko Lovec believes that the new government should appear less frequently on the covers of foreign newspapers, pursue a moderate pro-EU policy and "will bring the rhetoric in line with its actual actions in foreign policy". He also hopes it will be mature enough to continue the good projects of the current government, for instance in relations with Croatia, where "things are moving in the right direction and it would be a shame not to continue" from there.

Diplomat Cerar expects new govt to continue active foreign policy

LJUBLJANA - Diplomat Božo Cerar expects the new government to continue the active foreign policy from the past two years. He sees the country's EU and NATO membership, a commitment to good relations with neighbours, and assistance to former Yugoslav countries in their bids to join the EU as the constants in Slovenia's foreign policy, and expects the new government to build on them. The war in Ukraine, active economic diplomacy and Slovenia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council are the three main tasks ahead for the new government, he said.

Analyst Tomšič does not expect problems with coalition building

LJUBLJANA - Political analyst Matevž Tomšič does not expect the Freedom Movement to have major problems forming a government given that it can pick among several coalition partners and govern with only one other party if necessary. "He'll be able to avoid blackmail or setting of conditions since everyone will be replaceable," Tomšič, a professor at the School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica, told the STA. The government is likely to be formed fairly quickly, but this is no guarantee that the coalition will function smoothly, he said.

Analyst: Election outcome defeat for KUL, outgoing govt

LJUBLJANA - Andraž Zorko, director of the pollster Valicon, sees the election outcome as a "cruel" defeat for the KUL coalition of centre-left parties and "quite a bad one" for the Janez Janša government. He believes tactical vote prevailed as voters were keen to defeat Janša. Most of the vote they lost went to Robert Golob's Freedom Movement for a record tally of 40 seats. "History has been made again in Slovenian parliamentary democracy. And it was KUL parties, in particular the LMŠ and SAB, that were the victims of this rise."

Commentator does not see KUL as losers

LJUBLJANA - The result of the election is not a defeat for the informal KUL coalition of centre-left parties despite two of the four dropping out of parliament since they paved the way for Freedom Movement's victory, political commentator, blogger and podcaster Aljaž Pengov Bitenc told the STA. Absent what the KUL parties had been doing for two years, Robert Golob would not have happened. "He was able to achieve such a result based on what they were doing and what civil society movements have been doing. I don't know whether this is defeat," he said.

Chamber of Commerce hoping for good cooperation with new govt

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) expects of the upcoming new ruling coalition to be open to the needs of business and to incorporate measures for the improvement of the business environment into the coalition agreement. Slovenian business executives said on Sunday they would like to see a new government formed as soon as possible, one with a strong majority in parliament and able to overcome the left-right divisions to the benefit of the Slovenian economy.

Youth: Housing, precarious work, mental heath priorities for new govt

LJUBLJANA - The National Youth Council wants the new government to address housing, precarious work and mental health as priorities concerning the young in Slovenia. In a statement for the STA, they said they want to be a key partner when the government starts addressing these issues. It expects the government to systematically address "the hard situation in which the youth have found themselves".

Both minority MPs re-elected

LJUBLJANA - The incumbent MPs for the Italian and Hungarian minorities, Felice Žiža and Ferenc Horváth, secured re-election on Sunday. Žiža got 60.8% of the vote to beat Maurizio Tremul among the members of the Italian community who cast their ballot. In the Hungarian community, Horváth got 58.3% of the vote ahead of Mihael Kasaš (23.2%) and Otto Močnek (18.5%). They expect a constructive relationship with the new government.

Record number of women make it to parliament

LJUBLJANA - As many as 36 women have been elected to the 90-seat National Assembly, which translates into 40% of all MPs, a record figure ever since Slovenia gained independence. The Freedom Movement, the election winner, leads the way - it has not only the largest number of women MPs but more than half of its elected candidates are women.

Pahor to visit Croatia and Germany this week

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will be on two working visits this week - first in Zagreb on Tuesday at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović, and then in Berlin to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday, the president's office said. Pahor and Milanović will discuss current issues in the region and Europe, and an in-depth discussion on various topical issues in European and international politics will be on the agenda in Berlin.

Pahor, Janša congratulate Macron on being re-elected

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being elected the president of France for a second term in Sunday's run-off of the presidential election. Both believe Slovenia and France will continue with their good cooperation, noting the importance of working together to tackle current challenges and issues.

Fajon leaving European Parliament after being elected MP

LJUBLJANA - Social Democrats (SD) president Tanja Fajon will end her term as member of the European Parliament as she was elected an MP in the Slovenian National Assembly in Sunday's general election. The two posts are incompatible. The name of the successor to her MEP seat will depend on the coalition negotiations with the election winner, the Freedom Movement, said Jure Tanko, an assistant in Fajon's MEP office.

Lenarčič congratulates Golob, looking forward to cooperation

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European commissioner from Slovenia, Janez Lenarčič, who is in charge of crisis management, congratulated Robert Golob and his Freedom Movement party on Sunday on winning the general election in Slovenia. Several MEPs from other countries welcomed the election outcome, whereas European People's Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber lauded the SDS party of Janez Janša for its work in the past two years. The EU Commission meanwhile expectedly declined to comment on the election result.

Signatures filed to parliament to repeal several laws

LJUBLJANA - The 8 March Institute filed to parliament some 10,000 signatures in support of its bill aimed at repealing several government-sponsored laws the NGO finds harmful. We expect the new government to support the bill as its first move, and proceed to address the situation at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, its head Nika Kovač said.

Tourism recovers in first quarter

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded close to 700,000 tourist arrivals in the first quarter of the year, a more than ten-fold increase over the year before and more than in the same period in 2021, Statistics Office figures show. Domestic tourists accounted for roughly 53% of the total, with guests from Croatia, Italy, Austria and Hungary accounting for the bulk of foreign arrivals. Total tourist stays were just below two million.

Covid hospitalisations up slightly despite declining caseload

LJUBLJANA - The number of patients in hospital with Covid has risen slightly despite the continued decrease in the number of new cases, which were down 18% over the week before to 328 on Sunday. The number of those hospitalised with Covid as their primary or secondary condition rose by nine to 230, whereas the number of ICU cases dropped by three to 30. Four patients with Covid died, Health Ministry data show.

Slovenian kid suspected of having hepatitis of unknown origin

LJUBLJANA - One child in Slovenia is suspected of having fallen ill with hepatitis of unknown origin, Mojca Matičič, an infectologist at UKC Ljubljana hospital, told the press. Further test results are yet to come in, but the child's condition is good. She said that scientists are yet to determine what causes the disease, which has been affecting children in Europe and the US.

Prolific painter France Slana dies

ŠKOFJA LOKA - One of Slovenia's most prolific painters France Slana has died, aged 95, several media reported. He was most known for his oil paintings and watercolours, but also for his prints, painted ceramics and tapestries. Slana was a painter of classical themes as his work is centred around landscape, figurative and still-life painting. He was one of the 1964 recipients of the Prešeren Fund Prize.

STA, 25 April 2022 - As many as 36 women have been elected to the 90-seat National Assembly, which translates in 40% of all MPs, a record figure ever since Slovenia gained independence. The Freedom Movement, the election winner, leads the way - it has not only the largest number of women MPs but more than half of its elected candidates are women.

According to the unofficial partial results of Sunday's election, the Freedom Movement will have 22 women MPs, which is nearly 54% of the party's deputies.

A total of three women were elected to parliament on the slate of the SocDems, which came in fourth, accounting for almost 43% of the SD's deputy group.

The fifth-placed Left has two women out of its five elected MPs (40%).

The two parties of the outgoing coalition that have made it to parliament have below 30% women MPs.

The second-placed Democrats (SDS) and the third-placed New Slovenia (NSi) have seven and two women MPs, respectively.

The SDS's share is thus nearly 26%, whereas the NSi has the lowest share of women MPs among all the parties that will be in the next parliament - 25%.

Prior to this election, the highest number of women MPs in Slovenia, 32, was recorded at the end of the 2011-2014 and 2014-2018 terms.

The lowest number of women MPs was meanwhile seen during the 1996-2000 and 2004-2008 terms, when there were only eleven female MPs.

In the term that is now coming to an end, 22 women were originally elected to parliament, and at the end of the term, Slovenia had 26 women MPs due to various reshuffles.

STA, 25 April - The 8 March Institute (Inštitut 8. marec) has filed to parliament some 10,000 signatures in support of its bill aimed at repealing several government-sponsored laws the NGO finds harmful. Its head Nika Kovač said she expected the new government to support the bill as its first move, and proceed to address the situation at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija,.

Kristina Kranjc, a member of the NGO's programme board, said the bill features 11 proposals that will change some laws passed under the Janez Janša government.

If passed, the bill will prevent Uber from entering the Slovenian market, enable environmental NGOs to promote the interests of nature, and enable police to work independently from politics.

The Freedom Movement, the election winner, has assured the NGO even before the election that it would support the bill.

Tija Jakič, another member of the board, said that the NGO hoped that cooperation between parliamentary parties and the civil society would continue.

The NGO has managed to collect 15,000 verified signatures, whereas only 5,000 are needed for a civil group to file a bill to the National Assembly.