We spoke to political commentator Miran Videtič about the consequences of the left’s referendum debacle. As he says, the centres of power, or the proverbial godfathers from behind the scenes, are facing a particular dilemma, because this time, as well as facing the declining support for the “new face”, they are also facing the support the said “new face” enjoys in some regimes in the Balkans.
The coalition parties will have to lick their wounds for some time to come, as a result of the slap on the wrist they have received from the electorate in the recent referendum. In the Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda) and the Left (Levica) parties, they have decided to deny defeat. Some representatives of both parties even declared victory. Because those who stayed at home outnumbered those who went to the polls.
Should we be surprised at their reaction? Our interlocutor says no. “This is the reaction of the entertainers, the liars, the people who are making excuses on a daily basis and who have been scaremongering about all the things that would happen if the law did not pass. In the end, instead of apologising to the public, they looked for ways to present this literal debacle of a law and a government as a success,” he pointed out. Within the coalition ranks, only the Social Democrats (Socialni demokrati – SD) were able to admit defeat, as their representatives did not follow the boycott instructions and tried to present the final defeat as an opportunity for self-reflection on the left. It was an attitude towards democracy and state-building that the SD party was able to engage in this time, but the Left and the Freedom Movement, although at this point clones of each other (Videtič pointed out), were not.
Ghosts of the past haunt Golob
The referendum result is certainly a blow for Golob himself, not just for his political party. Videtič believes that we are already witnessing a swansong for the Freedom Movement party, although the opinion polls do not yet show it. But Golob will not just say goodbye. According to our interlocutor, he is haunted by ghosts from the past.
“It’s only a matter of time before the left pole or the godfathers’ laboratories reach a satisfactory level to present a new name. Given that, at the moment, Golob has virtually all state institutions in his hands, and for the time being, the media as well, but they will slowly start to ease up on their support. He will be looking for the best possible result in the next elections, mainly for personal reasons. We should not forget that the story of his leadership of the GEN-I energy company started years ago and is still up in the air,” said the political analyst.
He also believes that the next “normal” government, as one of its first moves, will have to take a closer look at GEN-I’s past performance in order to protect state property. “Here lies the reason why Golob needs political power. The fear of investigations is simply too strong, but the fact is that it is not in his best interest that these matters have started to interest journalists in the Balkans a little more intensively,” noted Videtič.
The slow birth of a new face
If, in the past, it was the case that the “godfathers from behind the scenes” gave birth to new faces according to a simple formula, depending on public opinion support, today, the situation is a bit more complex. “Until now, it was like that. When a new face started to lose public support, they made a new new face. Now we see that Kučan is reserved in his influence to end this agony sooner,” explained Videtič, adding that “we are witnessing a really incredible influence of foreign countries whose interest is that Golob stays in a position of power. I am talking in particular about Serbia and part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska.” The leaders of these countries wield political influence in Slovenia through the mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković.
“The Kučan network is locked in a way. We don’t know what is behind it, whether secret services or politicians who have something concrete about Milan Kučan, a dossier that could be used to discredit him. So, it is a different situation from what we have been used to so far […] All it tells me is that he is a hostage of Zoran Janković and of the countries or networks in the Balkans that are leading Janković,” said our interlocutor.
A new face, the face of “anti-Golob”?
And yet, whatever the birth problems of this new face, the transitional left is going to give it a try. For the time being, the most likely candidate is Vladimir Prebilič, a Member of the European Parliament and former mayor of Kočevje. He has made it clear in the past that he would be interested in the position of Prime Minister. At the same time, it is also known that he lacks the political infrastructure (at least for the time being) for such a venture.
Videtič says that the new face should adopt an “anti-Golob” policy. “This regime that is currently ruling us is dangerous. With Šarec and Cerar, we could not directly say that we were under threat. We are not threatened in a military sense, but by the interventions of the Balkan criminal cartels. Prebilič should be aware of this,” he concluded.
Ž. K.
