Franc

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.

Maribor/Ljubljana – Slovenia’s largest two vaccination centres witnessed massive cancellations by those due to get an AstraZeneca jab last week. Half of those invited turned down the jab in Maribor and a third in Ljubljana.

Ljubljana – Three MPs of the opposition Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) are upset about statements by interim party head Brigita Čokl about them in the media. They are particularly bothered by her saying that a stick would be needed to deal with MPs because the carrot approach does not work. They hired a lawyer demanding she revoke the statements.

Ljubljana – Karl Erjavec, the president of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS), has taken a job at the telecommunications equipment provider Iskratel where he will advise the CEO on expansion to new markets, prompting speculations about the future of his political career.

Brussels – Three of Slovenia’s four MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) did not back changes to the rules of procedure allowing the European People’s Party (EPP) to suspend or exclude a member party from its ranks. Ljudmila Novak, the fourth Slovenian EPP MEP, voted for the changes, having been one of its proponents.

Ljubljana – The four opposition parties from the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL) presented on Wednesday their proposal on how Slovenia should spend EU recovery and resilience funds as they filed a request for a plenary session to discuss Slovenia’s national recovery and resilience plan, a document required to draw EUR 5.2 billion in EU recovery funds.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša has said that he would nominate a new health minister when the MPs for the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS), which recently left the government coalition, decide whether they will support the government or become opposition MPs. He said they have until Wednesday’s coalition meeting to decide.

Ljubljana – An informal coalition of centre-left opposition parties has filed a motion of no confidence in the Janez Janša government with the backing of 42 of the 90 deputies of the National Assembly. The crux of their argument is the government’s failure to cope with the coronavirus epidemic.

Ljubljana – The National Gallery will put in the spotlight of 2021 Baroque painter Fortunat Bergant and pioneer of Slovenian illustration Hinko Smrekar, two Slovenian artists who left an indelible mark on the art scene in the 18th and the first half of the 20th centuries, respectively.

Ljubljana – The council of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) voted in favour of a proposal by the party’s executive committee that DeSUS leave the current coalition and back party leader Karl Erjavec as a candidate for prime minister-designate.

The decision on the fate of the government ministers who are members of DeSUS is on Prime Minister Janez Janša, Erjavec said.