Danijel Krivec

Ljubljana – Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu will be in Slovenia on Monday and Tuesday, discussing her country’s expectations about joining the EU and NATO, dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina, and the situation in the Western Balkans.

Ljubljana – With exit polls for Sunday’s general election showing the ruling Democrats (SDS) receiving 22.5% of the vote to trail the newly-formed Freedom Movement, the first reactions from the SDS mainly refer to what it perceives as an unfair game in terms of media coverage of the campaign. The party will wait for official results to comment further.

Ljubljana – All but one parliamentary party welcomed Slovenia’s offer to accept Ukrainian refugees, although there was some scepticism whether the country has the capacity or would even need to take in between 180,000 and 200,000 as suggested by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs. The opposition also raised unequal treatment of refugees depending on their origin.

Ljubljana – Ljubo Žnidar, an MP for the coalition Democrats (SDS), has resigned. The party said he stepped down for personal reasons and decided to continue his professional career in the corporate sector.

SDS deputy group leader Danijel Krivec said Žnidar no longer saw himself in this role and did not wish to contest an election again.

Bovec – The leader of the ruling Democrats (SDS) Janez Janša addressed the party’s rank and file at the kick-off of their annual gathering near Bovec on Saturday, calling on the party’s members to step up in the 2022 election campaign.

Ljubljana – Janez Janša won another term at the helm of the Democratic Party (SDS) at a party congress in Slovenske Konjice on Saturday. He was endorsed by 650 of the 656 delegates as the only candidate for party head.

Ljubljana – Speaker Igor Zorčič will not call a plenary session to debate the opposition Left’s party programme after the coalition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) requested this last week, arguing the programme contained elements suggesting the Left could act against the country’s constitutional order.

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 – 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 – 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.