Marjan Sarec

The failure of government parties in Slovenia on Tuesday to dismiss as parliament speaker Igor Zorcic - although he is no longer in the ranks of the ruling coalition - has encouraged the opposition to call for snap elections.

Ljubljana – Four members of parliament, including Speaker Igor Zorčič, will form a new deputy group in parliament on Friday after three of them parted ways with the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) and one left the opposition Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) deputy group. This is expected to lead to the appointment of a new parliamentary speaker.

Ljubljana – Coalition SMC leader Zdravko Počivalšek plans to have a word with Prime Minister Janez Janša to discuss what he considers Janša’s offensive remark about the Modern Centre Party (SMC) he made on Monday while responding to a question from SMC MP Janja Sluga in parliament.

Brdo pri Kranju – Health experts urged politicians on Wednesday to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic as a united front, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said after a meeting at Brdo pri Kranju hosted by President Borut Pahor. Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Janša assessed the meeting, the kind of which are to be held once a month, as useful.

Ljubljana – Health Minister Janez Poklukar has shot to the top of popularity ratings of politicians in a poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo, to replace President Borut Pahor after nearly nine years on top.

Delo notes that the public appears to have high expectations for Poklukar, the doctor who took over as health minister on 23 February.

Ljubljana – Four centre-left opposition parties propose the National Assembly call a consultative referendum on the government-sponsored bill on the National Demographic Fund, arguing its concept is flawed. If their proposal is not adopted, they will initiate a legislative referendum once the bill is passed.

The Slovenian government led by Janez Jansa of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party, SDS survived a no-confidence vote after a marathon session in parliament on Monday evening.

Ljubljana – The five left-leaning opposition parties have filed again a motion for a constructive vote of no confidence in the government of Janez Janša, with Karl Erjavec, the president of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS), as candidate for prime-minister designate.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor has expanded his initiative for cooperation among political parties with a call for a meeting of leaders of all parliamentary parties. He would like to measure support for his proposal that parties reach a consensus on focusing on the fight against the epidemic, on post-pandemic recovery and Slovenia’s EU presidency.

Ljubljana – Former Culture Minister Dejan Prešiček from the opposition Social Democrats (SD) announced on Friday that a motion to oust Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti would be filed before 8 February, Culture Day. He said this would probably be one of the biggest presents to Slovenian culture for the holiday.