The traditional meeting of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) municipal committees took place on Saturday, the 20th of July, in Bovec. The event, which was expected to attract more than 500 people, also marked the start of the traditional SDS party summer camp. At the same time, the 29th Dr Henrik Tuma Memorial Mountaineering Camp also began under the motto, “For a Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Nation.” The main part of the event was a speech by SDS President Janez Janša.
At the beginning of his address, the SDS President thanked the party members for their hard work, which had led to the recent electoral successes. “Thank you to all of you who helped the SDS party reach over 30 percent of the vote for the first time, with a record turnout. If you work, you get results. The more you work, the better the results. But it is important that we are organised. Nothing happens without people,” said Janez Janša.
“We are working hard to get to early elections as soon as possible and for Slovenia to get a government that will work for the common good. We are facing dynamic times. We have a glorious victory in the European elections behind us. Despite being in the opposition, the SDS party has won more seats than the entire government coalition combined. There has not been a clearer expression of the will of the electorate for a long time. But this result is more important for Slovenia than for the situation in the European Union,” he continued.
A varied summer camp programme
The meeting of the SDS party committees is an annual event attended by thousands of party members. As always, there was lots of good company, food, drinks, and good fun to be had, reported the web portal E-Maribor. The local Maribor media also reported that six busloads of individuals attended the meeting, coming there from the Štajerska capital alone. And, as one attendee pointed out, “If anyone, it is the Slovenian Democratic Party that brings people together, that appreciates and respects patriotism… And there is more and more of us every year…”
On Sunday, the pilgrimage of the mountaineers and the SDS Christian Forum took place in Trenta, where a Holy Mass will be celebrated in the Church of St Joseph, in the village of Soča. Sunday afternoon was dedicated to kayaking school.
At the beginning of the first week of the camp, members will climb Javoršček (1557 m), and the Women’s Committee is organising a family picnic, as is tradition. The rest of the week will be spent at the kayak school, climbing boulders in Trenta, and exploring the native inhabitants of our land.
On Friday, the 26th of July, members will climb to the Hut on Dolič (2151 m) and on Saturday, the 27th of July, they will traditionally climb the highest Slovenian peak, Triglav (2864 m).
During the second week of the summer camp, some members will set off into the unknown, where they will also set up their bivouac shelters. On Wednesday, there will be a trip to the spring of the Soča River and onwards to Kekčeva domača. On Thursday, the 1st of August, the traditional climb to Škrlatica (2740 m) will take place. The camp will end with a rafting trip on Saturday and a climb to Svitnjak (1653 m) on Sunday. You can view the programme in its entirety (in Slovenian) here: https://www.sds.si/sites/default/files/Program%2029%20tabora%20SDS%20in%20GKdrHTuma%20(2)%20(1).pdf
Ž. K.
