Celje is preparing for the second round of mayoral elections. At first glance, everything seems fine. The long-serving Mayor Bojan Šrot and his challenger Matija Kovač will face each other. The latter presents himself as an opportunity to give the city a new (green) freshness. But citizens of Celje, beware: Kovač is not an independent candidate, as he proclaims, but is closely linked to the Left party (Levica) and MP Kordiš, who has previously said that he wants to chase entrepreneurs to the sea with bayonets! The key question is, therefore, whether it is better for the development of the city to be led by someone with experience and entrepreneurial drive (Šrot) or whether you want to bet on an experiment with unknown consequences.
The more and more frequent electoral defeats are slowly pushing the Left party to the political periphery. It has achieved disappointing results in the elections to the National Assembly, as well as the presidential and local elections. The last two failures can perhaps also be attributed to the Fotopu affair. Other reasons are probably to be found in the extreme views of the party members. Let’s just think back to the horrifying calls to chase the entrepreneurs to the sea with bayonets (Miha Kordiš). These are values that belong more to an “autonomous zone”, such as Metelkova or Plac (formerly the Rog Factory) in Ljubljana… The fact that they (for the time being) remain in politics and have a strong influence on the programme guidelines of the government is thanks to the servile mainstream media… Namely,
the Left party has already served up quite a few rather controversial solutions for the state and society.
For example, we have heard ideas about higher taxes, which in reality scare away investors… But recently, they have also expressed some hysterical, destructive tendencies to remove/dismantle all social elements that could even loosely be connected with statehood, independence and the government of Janez Janša. An example is the epic fight of the Left party’s Minister of Culture, Asta Vrečko, against the Museum of Slovenian Independence. The Left party is also credited with destroying the Demographic Office (Luka Mesec) and some other moves that do not contribute to higher birth rates or a healthy, quality family environment (promotion of LGBTQ+ ideas). There has also been mention of the close association of individual members of the party with the controversial/morally depraved “cultural” milieu Fotopub, and of support for some parasitic non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
All signs point to the fact that this party, under the guise (trick?) of the List of Gregor Deleja and a group of voters, or the candidate Matija Kovač, is trying to get their hands on the Municipality of Celje, where the second round of mayoral elections will be taking place this Sunday. In the first round, Kovač (with 33.14 percent) achieved a worse result than Bojan Šrot (Celje Maor’s List of Slovenia, who received 46.86 percent). We wonder what the Left party’s covert offshoot can really offer to the entrepreneurial and industrially oriented city of Celje. It is also worrying that Kocač is a rather young candidate, to be honest… One has to wonder whether it is wise to entrust him with such a responsible mission as the management of the Municipality of Celje. On the other hand, we have an experienced Šrot, whose strengths are already known and appreciated by the citizens. Under his leadership, the municipality will not be subjected to an experiment with unpredictable effects. What would you prefer for your families?
“If you are not a leftist in your twenties, then you do not have a heart; if you are a leftist in your forties, you do not have a brain” We wonder whether electing Kovač as Mayor is really the right solution for Celje, where certain “godfathers” like Aleš Gulič reign supreme. If yes, then people should not be denied this. Elections are a celebration of democracy. But it is good to know something else… Kovač is certainly an ambitious politician, full of youthful energy. He probably has no bad intentions… But the question is whether he has the experience and wisdom to realise his “adolescent,” high-flying goals. Remember: “If you are not a leftist in your twenties, then you do not have a heart; if you are a leftist in your forties, you do not have a brain.” Every decision, especially an electoral one, requires serious reflection. Finally, we should also keep in mind that Kovač’s comrade, Miha Kordiš, is a rather controversial figure, since he exploits plantation workers in an almost slave-like manner…While hiding behind the façade of philanthropy…
Domen Mezeg
