Slovenia may face a historic turning point in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The controversial prime minister, Janez Jansa, who has been influencing Slovenian politics for three decades, must expect to be voted out. Ironically, a political newcomer is making him serious competition: the former top manager Robert Golob, with his newly founded green-liberal freedom movement (Gibanje Svoboda), is neck and neck with Jansa’s right-wing conservative Democratic Party (SDS). All polls put the neo-politician, who only entered politics at the end of January, just ahead of the unpopular head of government.
The 63-year-old incumbent is a highly controversial figure. Critics accuse him of restructuring the existing constitutional order and introducing authoritarian rule. It is said that Jansa tailored the political system to her needs. He recently went on a confrontational course with the judiciary and exchanged the entire police leadership. After the US presidential election in November 2020, he made international headlines when he congratulated the defeated incumbent Donald Trump on his fake election victory. The 63-year-old Jansa is increasingly aligning his politics with his close confidant, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Several formerly independent Slovenian media are now under the control of Hungarian providers close to Orban. It’s no coincidence that Jansa is also known as “mini-Orban”.
For a better society
With his flowing gray curls, Golob is not just the glaring opposite of Jansa in terms of looks. The previous boss of the largest Slovenian electricity provider is considered one of the best energy experts in Slovenia and has committed himself to climate-friendly economic policy. He officially entered the political arena in January when he took over a small green party and renamed it the Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda). The new political group immediately shot to the top of the opinion polls. Under the election slogan of freedom, the 55-year-old stands for a “better society in which everyone will feel free and safe.” Golob also announced a “complete break” with the current government. If his party does not win, Golob, who was infected with the corona virus shortly before the election and had to cancel his last campaign dates, wants to withdraw from politics.
Even if Jansa’s right-wing conservative party wins the election again, the prime minister will have to fear for a majority in parliament: the largest camp in the new parliament is likely to be an anti-Jansa bloc, to which four liberal and left-wing parties have joined forces . The Corona protest party Resnica (Truth), which has caught up massively in the last few days, could also cause a surprise. However, it is unclear who will take on the leading role in this alliance after the election. Slovenia’s formation of a government will definitely be difficult.
Source: Nachrichten
