Dramatic elections in the small EU country of Slovenia: The liberal political career changer Robert Golob dethroned the controversial Janez Jansa. However, the winner could not celebrate together with his supporters.
The right-wing populist head of government, Janez Jansa, suffered a heavy defeat in the parliamentary elections in Slovenia. After counting 99 percent of the votes, the opposition Freedom Movement (GS) of the liberal-oriented political newcomer Robert Golob was well ahead of Jansa’s SDS party on Sunday evening – and more clearly than expected. “People want change and have expressed their trust in us to bring about change,” said Golob, who was a former power company manager.
Golob’s GS was 34.5 percent, the SDS was 23.6 percent. According to official figures, voter turnout was almost 70 percent, the highest level since 2000. The right-wing Prime Minister Jansa will lose his post after just a little over two years.
Election winner Robert Golob in corona quarantine
The 63-year-old conceded defeat and said he was “ready to work together for the common good”. He warned his opponent: “It’s easy to buy posters, have the support of the media and so-called civil society, but none of that will help you in the hard work that lies ahead.”
Golob said in his speech on election night: “Tomorrow we will start working hard to justify the trust (of the voters).” The 55-year-old political newcomer expressed himself in a live stream from his home as he is currently in quarantine due to a corona infection. In the GS campaign headquarters, Golob’s speech was greeted with jubilation.
Golob studied electrical engineering and entered the electricity trade with his own start-up. From 2006 and until recently, he was the general manager of the state-owned electricity trading company Gen-I. At the end of last year, Jansa arranged for his contract not to be extended. Golob then took over a small Green Party and transformed it into the now victorious freedom movement.
Golob could govern with social democrats
The clear lead for his freedom movement came as a surprise. According to analyst Miha Kovac, Golob’s party can count on “more than 40” seats in Ljubljana’s 90-seat parliament.
Only three other parties, the conservative New Slovenia (NSi, 7 percent, 8 seats), the Social Democrats (SD, 7 percent, 8 seats) and the Left Party Levica (4 percent, 5 seats) also cleared the four percent hurdle, which is decisive for entry into Parliament. One seat in parliament is reserved for representatives of the Italian and Hungarian minorities. Coalition talks with the Social Democrats are due to begin on Monday. Jansa, on the other hand, together with the NSi, his traditional coalition partner, currently does not have a majority on his side.
A head-to-head race between the GS and the party of the head of government had been expected in the south-eastern European country. According to Kovac, Golob’s victory was due to the successful mobilization of civil society and young voters. They voted against a Slovenia “following Hungary’s path, against the introduction of an illiberal democracy, against a government that would take control of public television and the judiciary.”
Jansa is often criticized
During the election campaign, Jansa promised stability and promoted his party with slogans such as “No experiments”. But the head of government is highly controversial both domestically and in the EU. The opposition accuses Jansa of undermining democratic institutions and restricting press freedom since he took office two years ago. He was Prime Minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013. Jansa became prime minister again in early 2020 when the centre-left coalition formed in 2018 collapsed. MPs from two small parties defected to Jansa, so he was able to unite a wafer-thin majority with a right-wing coalition.
He used government resources for the SDS election campaign. He repeatedly rudely attacks political opponents and journalists via the short message service Twitter. The police, controlled by his people, often hit peaceful demonstrators with legally questionable, sensitive fines.
Golob faces challenges
Since Jansa took office, there have been repeated large demonstrations directed against authoritarian tendencies in Slovenia. In the EU, Jansa’s close relationship with Hungary’s right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban is viewed with suspicion. Jansa is also an admirer of former US President Donald Trump.
Golob had previously described the election as a “referendum on democracy in Slovenia”. The opposition leader used to run a large energy company with a focus on solar energy.
Like Jansa, analyst Kovac warned of the major challenges that newcomer Golob is facing. Its movement has only existed for less than three months. There is a lack of “infrastructure”, “know-how” and experience with the functioning of the parliament.
Source: Stern
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