The partner of Prime Minister Robert Golob has once again become involved in political affairs, this time at the international level, which opens the door to a serious scandal. Slovenia’s reputation on the international stage is already at an unenviable level, and the actions of Tina Gaber, who until recently was the “prime minister’s concubine,” are making matters even worse.
As a person with no official position in the government, she allegedly sent emails to Slovenian ambassadors on the 9th of August, just a month before the couple’s wedding in Strunjan, expressing her request.
The messages were allegedly sent from the government server gov.si, namely, from an unusual email address, called [email protected] – “official voice of the first lady.” In these messages, Gaber allegedly called on the ambassadors, or rather instructed them, to each record a video in which they would express their support for the Palestinians in Gaza and condemn Israel. They were then to send these videos directly to her at the same address. The email address certainly exists, as this can be checked online.
This incident, first reported by the media outlet Požareport, is not an isolated one, but rather represents just the tip of the iceberg in a series of Gaber’s interventions in government affairs. It all started with interference in the nutria case. She joined forces with non-governmental organisations and upset hunters and experts. It continued with bears, with Gaber influencing policy on the culling of wild animals, blocking measures and contributing to politicisation that threatens both people and animals. Due to this pressure, the State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment, Klemen Brežan, who was a victim of this chain of events, had to resign – officially due to reorganisation after the disaster, but behind the scenes, rumours spread about the influence of Golob’s partner.
The latest affair raises a new wave of questions about the abuse of government resources, particularly in relation to who and when gave Gaber access to the government server and this special email address, which implies the official position of the “first lady.” This is completely absurd, as there is no such thing as a first lady in Slovenia as an official person in relation to the prime minister. This term is used exclusively for the spouse or partner of the president of the republic, as it is a protocol role without formal powers – for example, accompanying the president to official events. The prime minister’s partner does not have a similar position. And although Tina Gaber is now married to Golob, on the 9th of August, she was only his private companion.
The fact that she sent this message to ambassadors makes the whole thing even more absurd. Ambassadors operate in accordance with diplomatic protocol, which requires measured behaviour. “Forcing” them to record personal videos on a sensitive geopolitical topic such as the conflict in Gaza puts them in a position where they could be compromised before the international diplomatic community. This is not only unprofessional, but actually disgraces them and exposes them to risks such as diplomatic incidents or loss of trust in host countries. It is noticeable that the “first influencer of the country,” as some call her because of her background in public relations, either does not understand this or ignores this fact in favour of her personal agenda. This case surpasses all previous scandals and raises questions about the boundaries between private influence and state institutions.
Several political commentators have already pointed out her influence and the possible growth of her influence after the wedding, including Aljuš Pertinač and Sebastjan Jeretič, who emphasised on the show Ura resnice (The Hour of Truth) that Tina Gaber was, until recently, the prime minister’s “concubine.” The clip of them talking about this (in Slovenian) is available here: https://twitter.com/i/status/1966585749190414389
Now the question is whether Slovenia will soon have a formal “first lady.”
A. H.
