2. Overview of Slovenia’s political system
Politics of Slovenia are exercised in a frame of parliamentary
representative democratic republic, by which PM of Slovenia is head of
government and also head of multi-party system.
Executive power is practiced by Government of Slovenia.
Legislative power is significant part of Slovenia’s national
assembly, with minor part in National Council.
Judiciary of Slovenia is free from executive and legislature.
Slovenia has little political instability.
According to France Bučar, one of the founding fathers of Slovenian
democracy and independence, democracy in Slovenia is not very
strong, with power laying in the hands of a few people, as in the time of
Socialist Republic of Slovenia prior to 1991; the Parliament is only an
official institution.
4. Executive branch
President is elected through popular vote for term of five
years.
After National Assembly elections, leader of majority
party or leader of majority coalition is normally nominated
for post of PM by president and elected by National
Assembly.
Council of Ministers is appointed by PM and elected by
National Assembly.
5. Legislative branch
Slovenia’s National Assembly (Državni zbor) is composed of 90
members, all of whom are elected to term of four years; 88
members are elected through proportional representation using
D’Hondt formula, while two members are elected by ethnic
minorities using Borda count.
President of National Assembly of Slovenia is elected by
deputies, requiring 46 votes for election; this position is currently
held by Gregor Virant, who defeated his opponent Maša Kociper
with 52 votes against Kociper’s 38.
Virant was backed by Slovenian Democratic Party, Democratic
Party of Pensioners of Slovenia, New Slovenia – Christian
People’s Party, Slovenian People’s Party and his own
party, Gregor Virant’s Civic List.
6. Government of Slovenia
Capital (and largest city):
Ljubljana
Official language(s): Slovene*
Government: Unitary
parliamentary constitutional
republic
President: Danilo Türk
Prime Minister: Janez Janša
Legislature: Parliament
Upper house: National Council
Lower house: National
Assembly
*Italian and Hungarian are recognized
as official languages in residential
areas of Italian or Hungarian ethnic
minorities.
7. Danilo Türk
Born 19 February 1952 in Maribor, Yugoslavia (now
Slovenia).
President of Slovenia since 23 December 2007.
Also a lawyer and diplomat.
Born in lower-middle-class family; his father died when Türk
was young.
Attended prestigious II. Gymnasium High School in Maribor.
Enrolled in University of Ljubljana in 1971, studying law;
earned M.A. with thesis on minority rights from University of
Belgrade’s Law School.
Became teaching aid at Faculty of Law in Ljubljana in 1978.
Received his Ph.D. with thesis on principle of non-
intervention in international law in 1982.
Became director of Institute for International Law of
University of Ljubljana in 1983.
Focused on minority rights in subsequent years and worked
with Amnesty International, reporting on human rights issues
in Yugoslavia.
Served as UN Special Rapporteur on Realization of
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights between 1986-1992.
Returned to Slovenia in 1990 as member of Constitutional
Commission of Slovenian National Assembly led by France
Bučar and Peter Jambrek.
Co-authored chapter of human rights in Slovenia’s
constitution.
8. Janez Janša
Born 17 September 1958 (birth name is Ivan
Janša).
PM of Slovenia since 10 February 2012.
Also served as PM from 2004-2008.
Leader of Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993.
Was also Minister of Defense from 1990-
1994, holding that position during Slovenian War
of Independence (June/July 1991).
Born to Roman Catholic working-class family of
Grosuplje; was named Janez (John) since his
childhood.
His father was a member of Slovenian Home
Guard from Dobrova near Ljubljana and who fled
Communist retaliation, due to his young age.
Graduated from University of Ljubljana with
degree in Defence Studies in 1982; became
trainee in Defence Secretariate of Socialist
Republic of Yugoslavia.
Was also a member of League of Communists
(Communist Party of Slovenia) and one of the
leaders of its youth wing.
Became president of Committee for Basic
People’s Defence and Social Self-Protection of
Alliance of Socialist Youth of Slovenia (ZSMS).
9. Parliament parties
Positive Slovenia (Pozitivna
Slovenija, PS)
Slovenian Democratic Party
(Slovenska demokratska
stranka, SDS)
Social Democrats (Socialni
demokrati, SD)
Civic List (Državljanska lista, DL)
Slovenian People’s Party (Slovenska
ljudska stranka, SLS)
Democratic Party of Pensioners of
Slovenia (Demokratična stranka
upokojencev Slovenije, DeSUS)
New Slovenia – Christian People’s
Party (Nova Slovenija – krščanska
ljudska stranka, NSi)
10. Non-parliament parties (2011 election participants)
Slovenian National Party (Slovenska nacionalna stranka, SNS)
Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (Liberalna demokracija Slovenije, LDS)
Party for Sustainable Development of Slovenia (Stranka za trajnostni razvoj
Slovenije, TRS)
Youth Party – European Greens (Stranka mladih - Zeleni Evrope, SMS-Zeleni)
Democratic Labour Party (Demokratična stranka dela, DSD)
Zares
Greens of Slovenia (Zeleni Slovenije)
Movement for Slovenia (Gibanje za Slovenijo)
Slovenian Party of Equal Opportunities (Stranka enakih možnosti
Slovenije, SEM-Si)
Forward Slovenia (Naprej Slovenija, NPS)
Party of the Slovenian Nation (Stranka slovenskega naroda, SSN)
Humana Party (Stranka Humana)
Akacija
11. Non-parliament parties (2011 election non-participants)
Union for the Will of the People (Zveza za voljo ljudstva, ZZVL)
Slovenian Pirate Party (Piratska stranka Slovenije, PSS)
Slovenia is Ours (Slovenija je naša, SJN)
Christian Democratic Party (Krščansko-demokratska stranka,
KDS)
Christian Socialist Party (Krščanski socialisti Slovenije, KSS)
Linden Tree (Lipa)
12. Former parties
Active Slovenia (Aktivna Slovenija)
League of Communists of Slovenia (Zveza komunistov
Slovenije), better known as Communist Party of Slovenia
(Komunistična partija Slovenije)
13. Positive Slovenia
Centre-left political party, led by Zoran Janković.
Founded 22 October 2011 under the name Zoran Janković's
List – Positive Slovenia.
Renamed Positive Slovenia during its second congress, held
21 January 2012.
On 11 October 2011, Janković, mayor of Ljubljana at the
time, announced that he would take part in the early
parliamentary election, after fall of PM Borut Pahor’s
government.
The charter of the new party was created on 22 October
2011, where Janković unanimously was elected president.
Among the party’s supporters were National Assembly
members Mata Zanoškar, Cveta Zalokar Oražem, and Renata
Brunskole.
Milan Kučan (first president of Slovenia) also voiced his
endorsement, mentioning Janković’s work as chairman of
retailing chain, Mercator, and as mayor of Ljubljana.
Among the objectives of the party that Janković stressed were a
safe, social and effective state with 4% GDP growth rate and
fewer than 3% budget deficit; Janković said that his objective
was placing Slovenia among most successful nations in the
world.
Gained 28.51% of the vote, winning 28 parliamentary seats in
early Slovenian parliamentary election of 2011, the largest of all
participating political parties.
Janković was most favored choice for PM as well as for Positive
Slovenia-led coalition negotiations, mostly with Social
Democrats (SD), Gregor Virant’s Civic List (LGV), and DeSUS.
Original coalition agreement was achieved, but LGV left two
days later and supported Slovenian Democratic Party-led
centre-right government; Positive Slovenia was accordingly left
in opposition.
14. Slovenian Democratic Party
Conservative political party; known until 2003
as Social Democratic Party of Slovenia.
Founded 16 February 1989.
Led by Janez Janša, PM of Slovenia;
currently Slovenia’s biggest coalition party.
Acquired 26.19% of the vote during early 2011
Slovenian parliamentary election on 4
December 2011, thereby taking 26 seats in
National Assembly.
One of Slovenia’s two biggest
parties, alongside centre-left opposition party
Positive Slovenia.
Also second-biggest party in National
Assembly, with 26 MPs (28.8% of the total) as
of 2011 election.
Won 26.7% of the votes in 2009 European
Parliament election, giving three out of eight
seats from Slovenia.
Member of European People’s Party
(EPP), with its MEPs sitting in EPP Group in
European parliament.
