What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
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FRIDAY, 22 April
LJUBLJANA - It was revealed that Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, who stepped down days before, had been in talks to sell a house to KŽK, the company which paid the hotel bill that triggered his resignation and which stood to benefit from his influence on the Farmland Fund.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received individuals from Ukraine who took refuge from the war in their country in Slovenia. He lauded the courage of Ukrainians in standing up to the Russian aggression.
WASHINGTON, US - Boštjan Vasle, the governor of Slovenia's central bank, warned of lower-than initially expected economic growth and higher inflation as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said EU members were most likely to suffer.
KOPER - The supervisory board of Luka Koper, the operator of Slovenia's sole seaport, confirmed a draft investment plan worth EUR 248 million through 2030 designed to increase the capacity of the container terminal to 1.75 million units per year from a million at present.
SUNDAY, 24 April
LJUBLJANA - Newcomer Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won the general election in a landslide, capturing 34.5% of the vote and an unprecedented 41 seats in the 90-member legislature. PM Janez Janša's SDS performed worse than in 2018 at 23.5% but got more seats, 27, because only three other parties made it to parliament. The results pave the way for a new centre-left coalition. Turnout exceeded 70%, the highest since 2000, highlighting the scope of Golob's win.
MONDAY, 25 April
LJUBLJANA - Freedom Movement president Robert Golob announced that coalition talks would start within days. He said he planned to reach out not just to the SD and Left but also to the liberal LMŠ and SAB, which did not make the 4% threshold to enter parliament, in a move signalling he plans to consolidate the liberal bloc.
LJUBLJANA - Near-final results showed 36 women were elected to the 90-seat National Assembly, which translates into 40% of all MPs, the highest since Slovenia gained independence. The largest number come from the Freedom Movement, more than half of whose MPs are women.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being elected the president of France for a second term. Both were confident Slovenia and France would continue with their good cooperation.
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. Election winner Robert Golob voiced support for the bill and said it would be one of the first items on the new parliament's agenda.
LJUBLJANA - Neuroradiologist Zoran Milošević was found guilty of accepting EUR 101,300 in gifts and of money laundering in a case involving the purchase of brain aneurysm closure coils. He was sentenced to three years in prison and fined EUR 50,000.
ŠKOFJA LOKA - One of Slovenia's most prolific painters France Slana was reported having died at age 95. He was most known for his oil paintings and watercolours, but also for his prints, painted ceramics and tapestries.
TUESDAY, 26 April
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor met with election winner Robert Golob to tell him 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.
LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob, the most likely candidate for PM-designate, told TV Slovenija there was no need for Croatian politicians to feel uneasy about Slovenia-Croatia relations or open issues after the election. He reiterated that the border arbitration award was the cornerstone for any talks.
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 revealed hours after the Constitutional Court upheld a ban on a referendum on the matter. The ministry had previously said it would start price negotiations once the treaty with OCCAR enters into force.
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša alleged in a series of Twitter posts that Robert Golob, the winner of the general election, was pro-Russian, by virtue of associating himself with people Janša claims are pro-Russian.
ZAGREB, Croatia - President Borut Pahor held working talks with Croatian President Zoran Milanović. The discussion focused on the next Brdo-Brijuni Process, which will be held in Slovenia later this year.
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.
LJUBLJANA - Jernej Pikalo stepped down as one of the four vice-presidents of the Social Democrats (SD) over what he labelled a poor election result for the party. He wants to encourage a discussion on what went wrong and how to proceed.
LJUBLJANA/KOPER - Three Slovenian researchers received the prestigious European Research Council grants. Astrophysicist Maruša Bradač got EUR 2.1 million for research into the early history of the universe, mathematician Franc Forstnerič EUR 1.6 million for work on holomorphic partial differential relations, and historian Borut Klabjan EUR 2.5 million for exploration of the history of cross-border practices in the Alps-Adriatic.
WASHINGTON - Slovenia honoured American Slovenians Mark Ryavec and Stephen Antalics with the Medal of Merit for their efforts for the US to recognise independent Slovenia. They received the medals on behalf of President Borut Pahor from Slovenian Ambassador to the US Tone Kajzer.
ŽUŽEMBERK - A 13-year-old student sustained light injuries when a shot was inadvertently fired from a pistol in a primary school in Žužemberk. The accident was the result of careless handling of the weapon brought to school by a 14-year-old student.
WEDNESDAY, 27 April
NEW DELHI, India - Paying a visit to India, Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue to discuss several issues, including bilateral cooperation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
STRASBOURG, France - The latest report by 15 media freedom partner organisations to the Council of Europe's Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists warned about the 2021 situation in Slovenia, noting assaults against journalists, the financial draining of the STA and the misuse of state funds to promote pro-government propaganda.
THURSDAY, 28 April
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted and forwarded to the European Commission the Stability Programme and the National Reform Programme for 2022. Citing the recent general election and major uncertainty in light of the Ukraine war, it did not provide any new measures in the plans, opting instead for a no policy change scenario and deciding to leave these to the incoming cabinet.
LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development downgraded its growth projection for Slovenia for this year from 4.7% in the autumn forecast to 4.2% in the spring forecast, expecting growth to slow down to 3% next year and to 2.8% in 2024 on the back of uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine.
BERLIN, Germany - President Borut Pahor held working talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and exchange views on the situation in the Western Balkans. They expressed their deep concern about the flagrant violation of the international order by Russia in Ukraine.
LJUBLJANA - The government extended the validity of reduced excise duties on electricity, motor fuels, heating oil and natural gas for heating for three more months until 31 July. However, it did not take action to extent fuel price caps beyond their expiry at the end of April.
LJUBLJANA - The government proposed that the terms of five ambassadors - to Slovakia, Denmark, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Egypt - end in the summer and asked President Borut Pahor to consider the proposal.
LJUBLJANA - The government raised the funds allocated for the purchase of relocatable communication and information systems for the Slovenian Armed Forces from EUR 12.8 million to EUR 30.4 million. The Defence Ministry said the initial value was based on a rough estimate.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - It was confirmed that Matjaž Nemec, a SocDem vice president and MP, was slated to fill the European Parliament seat to be vacated by the party's head Tanja Fajon as she starts her term in the Slovenian National Assembly.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) was reported to have launched an independent inquiry into the appointment of Tomaž Kokot, an SDS politician who became director general of postal operator Pošta Slovenije several months ago amid allegations of political staffing.
LJUBLJANA - 2TDK, the state-run company managing the construction of the new railway track between the port city of Koper and the Divača junction inland, discarded the sole bid for the construction of rail and tunnel systems on the track because it was too expensive.
