Robert Polnar

Ljubljana – The Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) will hold a congress on Saturday to elect what will be its third leadership in a year and a half. Last December, after less than a year under Aleksandra Pivec, the party again elected its ex-boss Karl Erjavec, but he stepped down in March. There are three contenders now.

Ljubljana – The opposition-controlled Commission for Oversight of Public Finances debated on Wednesday the impact of the proposed tax reform on public finances, with one of the adopted conclusions assessing the reform as an inappropriate fiscal response to the current crisis.

Ljubljana – Parliament debated Tuesday the Court of Audit’s recent findings about the efficiency of personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement during the Covid-19 epidemic last spring. Centre-left opposition MPs insisted there had been serious problems with the purchases, coalition MPs saw today’s plenary as a mere show for the public.

Ljubljana – Simona Kustec is staying on as education, science and sport minister as the National Assembly was eight votes short of voting her out of office. 38 MPs voted for her dismissal, while 41 opposed it after a 16-hour debate, which started on Monday and ended just after midnight.

Ljubljana – The parliamentary Home Affairs Committee endorsed on Thursday a bill redrawing electoral districts in line with a 2018 Constitutional Court decision. MPs of the coalition Democrats (SDS), New Slovenia (NSi), Modern Centre Party (SMC) and opposition Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) have backed the proposal.

Ljubljana – The parliamentary Finance Committee adopted a series of amendments to the National Demographic Fund bill on Wednesday, mostly based on remarks from the parliamentary legal service. The opposition walked out after its amendments, which would change the basic concept of the fund, were voted down.

Ljubljana – The parliamentary Home Affairs Committee discussed on Monday integrity at the Court of Audit and the conduct by its president Tomaž Vesel in the wake of alleged conflict of interest caused by his work at FIFA. The session was boycotted by four opposition parties and ended with two proposals, one of them being for Vesel to resign.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly decided in a 50:16 vote on Wednesday that the latest corona crisis stimulus package, passed late last night, cannot be put to a referendum. The decision means that the law was published in the Official Gazette Wednesday evening and will take effect on Thursday.

Ljubljana – Karl Erjavec, who is slated for a candidate for prime minister-designate by the informal KUL coalition, said on Monday after meeting KUL representatives that “it is clear that we also need support by the SMC party if we want a new government”. Talks with the coalition party are thus in store.

Ljubljana – After meeting representatives of the informal KUL coalition on Tuesday, Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec announced that a motion for a constructive vote of no-confidence in the government would be filed next week or by the end of the year. He expects that the required 46 MP votes will have been secured by then.