In Slovenia

Ljubljana – The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) on Friday launched a campaign promoting amendments to the income tax act, which will include the collecting of signatures in support of the changes in the run-up to the official election campaign.

Ljubljana – The ruling Democrats (SDS) would win 18.5% of the vote in the April general election, according a poll conducted for newspapers Dnevnik and Večer by pollster Ninamedia. The party of Robert Golob, the Freedom Movement, would come second with 16.2%, while the opposition Social Democrats (SD) would be third on 9.9%.

Ljubljana – Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič has tested positive for coronavirus and is in self-isolation, the parliament said on Friday, while Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the president of the coalition New Slovenia (NSi), also said on Twitter he has tested positive.

Zorčič tested positive on Thursday and was thus among the 9,858 infections confirmed in Slovenia that day.

Rome – The council of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) discussed on Saturday the merger of the Slovenian coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) with the Economically Active Party (GAS) into Concretely. It decided that this effectively ended the membership of the SMC in ALDE, and that the new party could again apply for membership.

Koper – Under the headline Euros and Concrete Incredibility, the newspaper Primorske Novice comments on Concretely, a new party which emerged from a merger of Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek’s coalition SMC and National Council President Alojz Kovšca’s non-parliamentary GAS, saying its main problem is a lack of credibility.

Ljubljana – Fifteen Italian military health professionals will come to Slovenia on Sunday to join the medical teams of the Slovenian Armed Forces helping in Covid-19 hospitals. The Italian team will be greeted by Defence Minister Matej Tonin and Health Minister Janez Poklukar in Kranj, the Defence Ministry said in a press release.

Ljubljana – An initiative by the opposition Left to call a consultative referendum on a long-term programme for the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) was voted down by eight votes to one on the Defence Committee on Tuesday. The vote is not binding on the plenary.

Ljubljana – The party of the former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec (LMŠ) is meeting for a virtual congress on Saturday to endorse an election manifesto and a platform in which they refashion their profile as a development-oriented liberal party.

Ljubljana – The Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) endorsed their election manifesto and platform on Saturday, setting out solutions which they say should restore a normality in Slovenia and pave the way for a development breakthrough. Marjan Šarec, the former PM, said the next government would have its work cut out fixing the consequences of the incumbent one.

Ljubljana – New Slovenia (NSi) met for a virtual congress on Saturday in preparation for next year’s general election where their leader Matej Tonin said this Christian democratic party should get the mandate to form a government in order to avoid the “inefficiency” of the centre-left and the “sharpness” of the senior partner in the current ruling coalition.