The Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) parliamentary group is demanding an apology from the Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Nataša Sukič, for their lies, otherwise they will file an interpellation against the Prime Minister on the work of the Government, and a motion for her dismissal from the post of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly against Nataša Sukič.
What has happened to earn the two aforementioned representatives of the authorities such a strong reaction from the opposition party? In recent days, they have told a number of lies in public to mislead the citizens. These are documented and easily verifiable.
On Thursday, the 20th of February 2025, Prime Minister Robert Golob told the following lie on the show 24ur Zvečer, regarding the Pension and Disability Insurance Act 2 (ZPIZ-2), adopted in 2012: “It was the Janez Janša government that, in 2012, when it implemented the pension reform, significantly reduced the vesting percentage by almost 20 percent. This is where the current problem of the situation of current pensioners comes from, because that Janez Janša government actually reduced their situation.”
In fact, the then-SDS-led government did not lower the vesting percentage or pensions. With the Pension and Disability Insurance Act 2, they halted the decline in pensions and saved many pensioners from poverty. Both would have been brought about by the previous law, adopted under the government of Anton Rop. This can also be read in the paper prepared by Marjan Papež, Director of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia, entitled “The impact of vesting percentages in a single period and other elements affecting the level of pensions”: “Almost ten years after the entry into force of the Pension and Disability Insurance Act 2, some people still do not understand that it was only a mathematical calculation, and even in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia (and, unfortunately, also in the National Council), statements are still being heard that the vesting percentages have been reduced by more than 20 percent and, consequently, so have the pensions, which is, of course, untrue, because a vesting percentage of 57.25 is equal to 78, and a vesting percentage of 63.5 is equal to 86.7.” (The document is available in Slovenian at: https://zdus-zveza.si/splosno/analiza-generalnega-direktorja- zpiz/).
The Slovenian Democratic Party parliamentary group demands a written apology from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia for the false claims. “If he fails to do so, we will submit an interpellation on the work of the government to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia to clarify matters at a session of the National Assembly,” they announced.
A replacement for MP Nataša Sukić
In her public appearances, the Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, an MP of the Left party (Levica), Nataša Sukič, has said, among other things, “The Left party is currently preparing a pension reform that will significantly revise the pension assessment. Who has brought it down the most steeply? Yes, Minister Vizjak under the Janša government: from 76.5 percent to a shameful 57.25 percent. And since then, it has created an army, an army of poor pensioners.” (She gave the statement in question on the programme Odmevi – Echoes on the 7th of February).
On the same day, on the X network, the Left party wrote: “From 76.5 to 56.25, Vizjak from the SDS party lowered the pension assessment and created poor pensioners.”
According to the SDS party, her statements are also completely untrue; they are manipulations and lies. “Therefore, we in the SDS party parliamentary group demand a public apology from the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Nataša Sukič, within 24 hours for the lies she has told, otherwise, we will propose to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia that she be replaced as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.”
C. Š.
