Victory of the Green Leftists of Slovenia FairPlanet
Last Sunday, April 24, the Green-Left Party won the parliamentary elections in Slovenia. Of the 1.7 million people who were able to vote, almost 70 percent voted, the historic turnout since the country ‘s independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
A close advantage was expected in the pre-election polls, as Slovenians have been protesting against their populist Eurosceptic government for more than two years. It would be difficult for anyone to predict that a newcomer to the election, Robert Golob, will so convincingly change the political landscape in a small EU and NATO member state.
“That doesn’t mean we’re the only ones; it means that people really want change, “Golob said after the preliminary results of the speakers. “So, let’s dance tonight, and tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow we will start working hard to justify the trust. “
Months ago, he took over the small Green Party, renamed the Freedom Movement (GS) and defeated the Slovenian Democratic Party of Prime Minister Janez Janša (SDS) by as much as 35 to 24 percent.
“The results are as they are. Congratulations to the relative winner, “Janša addressed his supporters on election night.
In the pre-election campaign, the opposition emphasized that the Slovenian government had created a police state in the last two years on the pretext of a coronavirus pandemic. Janša’s right-wing government is considered an autocracy. He is a fan of former US President Donald Trump and an ally of Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He put strong pressure on civil society organizations and the media, violating freedom of expression. In addition to confronting Brussels and backward democracy, Janša is known for corruption and interference in independent public institutions.
“Slovenia has reached a point it has never been to … It has become one of the biggest problems [in the EU] with an authoritarian government and almost daily violations of the rule of law, which narrow freedoms, “University of Ljubljana professor Vlado Miheljak told AFP.
Slovenia’s election results reverberated across the EU immediately after the second round of the French president on the same day that Emmanuel Macron was re-elected and defeated Marine le Pen. It has placed the far right closer to the presidency than ever before. This is one of the reasons why the outcome of the Slovenian elections is even more important.
Picture of Eugene KuznetsovEugene Kuznetsov