After the news recently broke in the media that Vesna Vuković will be replaced as Secretary-General of the leading coalition party, the Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda), by Rok Marolt, who comes from the circle of Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič, rumours that the current Prime Minister Robert Golob wants to take the Commissioner’s post, for which he is also supposed to be lobbying, have become even louder.
The ruling party, the Freedom Movement, has lost a whole bunch of supporters due t to its incompetence since the beginning of its mandate, and there have been more and more departures, including from those who were considered to be the most loyal cadres. The last to leave Golob’s boat was the Head of Prime Minister’s Office, Petra Škofic, who had been closely associated with Robert Golob since the beginning of the formation of the Freedom Movement party, and who actively participated in the pre-election campaign and headed the Prime Minister’s cabinet for almost two years. State Secretary for Culture Kaja Širok is due to leave on the 1st of April, while Golob is also said to be dissatisfied with the work of Saša Leban, who advises him on economic matters.
The replacement of Vesna Vuković, according to many, including the analyst Miran Videtič, only means that the latter is leaving the spotlight for a dark corner, without her role changing significantly. But her departure also seems to have had some effect on the Prime Minister himself, who skipped this Thursday’s government meeting. It has been reported that he has fallen ill and has therefore cancelled all his duties as Prime Minister.
The choice of the candidate to replace Vuković as Secretary-General of the party is very telling for many. Rok Marolt, who currently serves as Director of Slovenian Air Traffic Control, has previously headed the Civil Aviation Agency and even spent some time as Secretary-General at the Ministry of Finance, currently headed by Klemen Boštjančič. As the former has long been a subordinate of Boštjančič, he appears to be considered a confidant, given his selection to serve in Boštjančič’s ministry.
According to the media outlet Požareport, these developments are accelerating the unfolding of Kučan’s scenario of replacing Golob with the current Finance Minister Boštjančič. “Supposedly, Golob no longer had the option of installing “his own” Secretary-General but had to agree behind the scenes to a definite Boštjančič selection, whether he liked it or not,” it can be read, among other things. Marolt, who is even said to be a personal friend of Boštjančič, had already resigned at a recent meeting of the Management Board of Air Traffic Control. He will remain there until the end of the month, but as of the 1st of April, he will take up the post of Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement party. Since he has no political experience, it seems that his appointment will not be of much benefit to a party that has already lost two-thirds of its voters since the beginning of its mandate.
Golob supposedly wants to become the European Commissioner
Given the results of recent opinion polls, it is difficult to expect the leading party to repeat the success it had in the national elections in the upcoming European elections, too. According to Požar, Golob is likely to become a European Commissioner in the European Parliament. “That’s right. Golob has been harassing his colleagues in the European Commission for some time now, saying that he would like to be the Commissioner for Energy in the next European Commission,” Janez Janša, the leader of the largest opposition party, pointed out.
If this scenario comes true and Golob decides to run for the Commissioner’s post, it will certainly not be something completely new. Let us not forget how Alenka Bratušek, the former Prime Minister, who is also the Minister for Infrastructure in the current government, tried to ascend to the post of Commissioner, and then failed completely at the hearing. That this was likely to be the case was already indicated by her opening speech in English, during which, judging by her pronunciation, she seemed to be saying something she did not understand at all. Her answers in Slovenian were deemed by MEPs to be disastrous and even the worst they had ever seen. The fact that she did not want to make any statements after the hearing also showed that she was not satisfied with her presentation either.
“If Golob were to actually try and become a Commissioner, it would be a repeat of the international disgrace of 2014. In Slovenia, a servile media can hide a lack of knowledge and general incompetence. On the international stage, however, bluffing is quickly revealed,” analyst Mitja Iršič pointed out, recalling the events that followed Alenka Bratušek’s candidacy and adding that Slovenia’s media mirage would dissipate in a flash. But it will undoubtedly be interesting to see in practice what kind of presentation Golob, who was described as a capable manager before he became Prime Minister, will give, especially given what he has shown so far. Let’s let ourselves be surprised.
A. H.
