A year before the elections to the National Assembly, intensive preparations are already underway behind the scenes. The favourite of the transition, Vladimir Prebilič, who is being portrayed in the media as a “breath of fresh air”, is, in fact, just a mask for the old, tried and tested politicians who have been involved in politics, media and economic currents for years. A look at Prebilič’s past makes it clear that this is not a change, but a carefully planned manoeuvre of the deep state, and that behind this “new face” is the same old political network that has dominated Slovenia for many years.
In 2010, Vladimir Prebilič became Mayor of the Municipality of Kočevje, with the strong support of the media linked to Martin Odlazek, one of Slovenia’s most influential media moguls. The jumbo posters that adorned roadside billboards from Škofljica to Kočevje were no mere coincidence. At every turn, there was visible support, which obviously contributed greatly to his success in the elections.
Let us recall that Martin Odlazek’s media network has completely taken over the Slovenian media landscape and operates a number of media houses covering a wide range of content, from entertainment to politics. These include various magazines such as Lady, Obrazi, Jana; print media such as the daily newspaper Svet24, the weekly Reporter, as well as online portals such as Necenzurirano.si (Uncensored), Večer. It also manages dozens of radio stations. The aforementioned business activities lead to the monopolisation of public opinion.
With the help of these media outlets, which still proclaim that Milan Kučan is president, Prebilič defeated the long-serving mayor Janko Veber in the second round. The current MEP was not only backed by Odlazek’s media at the time, our sources say, but was also tacitly supported by the Rotary Club of Kočevje, with the expectation that they would have a better influence on him than on his predecessor. But once he took power, the “supporters” were quickly forgotten, as Prebilič became closely involved with Odlazek.
The Odlazek-Prebilič alliance became very solid
Once Prebilič had established himself in the municipality of Kočevje, companies owned by Odlazek became key business partners of the municipality, according to our source. Among these companies, Papirservis stood out as the company that took over the separately collected municipal packaging. This deal meant that Kočevje packaging was transported from Kočevje to Papirservis’ collection centre in Lenart. The municipality thus started to pay higher prices for municipal services, which significantly increased the costs for the citizens of Kočevje.
According to the information circulating in the public, Odlazek’s deal with this company caused a large bank debt, which had long-term consequences for the entire economic framework. Nevertheless, separately collected packaging is still being transported to Lenart to this day, and citizens continue to pay for expensive municipal services.
Another interesting question is whether the printing company Delo Tiskarna, which also went bankrupt and was “coincidentally” owned by Odlazek, produced printed materials for municipal companies and the Municipality of Kočevje. We are still waiting for answers in relation to this.
Looking at the background and the links, it quickly becomes clear that there is much more behind Prebilič than meets the eye. He is appearing in the headlines of Odlazek’s media and promoting himself as the next mandate holder on the Slovenian political floor. They are even writing that he will “save the centre-left from a possible fourth Janša government”. But the fact is that this is a repeat of the same scenario that we have known for years in Slovenia: the media are launching stories that are meant to shape public opinion and help Prebilič establish himself as a “new political force”. Will Slovenia buy this story yet again?
Sara Kovač
