Modern Centre Party

Ljubljana – The leader of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), Zdravko Počivalšek, has decided to remain economy minister rather than return to parliament. This is after an MP of the ruling Democrats (SDS) said last week that Počivalšek returning to parliament to secure the coalition an absolute majority was still an option.

Ljubljana – The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances urged the government on Thursday to resume STA funding as set down in a coronavirus relief law in three days. A Culture Ministry official meanwhile announced that the ministry would like the funding dispute to get resolved and was thus drafting a decree.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly passed in a 50:36 vote on Tuesday amendments to the act on road transport that create the legal basis for transportation platforms such as Uber or Lyft, changes that the government argues will facilitate the digitalisation of the transport sector.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly rejected in a 46:43 vote on Tuesday a proposal from the centre-left opposition for a consultative referendum on the government-sponsored bill on the national Demographic Fund.

The bill was adopted by the government last autumn and its passed a second reading in the National Assembly in March.

Ljubljana – Igor Zorčič remains speaker as only 45 MPs voted to dismiss him in a secret ballot Friday, one short of the needed majority, just like in the first attempt on 30 March after he quit the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC). Two ballots were invalid while no MP voted against as the centre-left opposition and unaffiliated MPs obstructed the vote.

Ljubljana – Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič has handed her resignation, the Justice Ministry confirmed for the STA. The reason is the government’s decision to annul the procedure to appoint Slovenia’s two European delegated prosecutors and to publish a new call for applications, which Kozlovič sees no justified grounds for.

Ljubljana – After last week’s blockade of a plenary session, parliament was back to business on Monday as the college of deputy group leaders set this week’s agenda. MPs will set a referendum date on Tuesday, the impeachment motion against PM Janez Janša is scheduled for Wednesday and a motion to dismiss Speaker Igor Zorčič might be debated on Friday.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly’s failure to endorse the agenda of the plenary needed to go ahead with the session in the first such instance ever is yet another sign of how the current balance of power is hampering parliament’s work, at times making it impossible, an analyst has assessed for the STA.

Ljubljana – A key multi-day plenary at which parliament was to vote on the opposition-sponsored motion to impeach Prime Minister Janez Janša and the coalition’s proposal to dismiss Speaker Igor Zorčič was aborted on Monday after MPs failed to endorse the agenda in the first such instance to date. Each side then filed for an emergency session instead.

Ljubljana – The latest Vox Populi poll, commissioned by dailies Dnevnik and Večer, shows that the support for the Janez Janša government has hit its lowest point so far as 70.2% think the government is not doing its job well. Meanwhile, the ruling Democrats (SDS) remain in the lead, followed by the opposition SocDems.