“Dear citizens of Slovenia. The choice between the parties, committed to democratic principles and the values of independence, is varied enough that it should not be difficult for us to decide on a healthy, strong, peaceful and trustworthy future of Slovenia and Europe!” the President of the Assembly for the Republic (Zbor za republiko), Dr France Cukjati, said in a press release, on behalf of the Assembly. In his statement, he recalled the distant year of 1990, when Slovenia was faced with a similar decision as the one it will have to make this year, on the 24th of April, at the elections to the National Assembly. And according to Cukjati, it was clear to everyone what the right decision was back in the nineties, but this time, deciding will be even easier and equally decisive.
In light of the upcoming elections, the President of the Assembly for the Republic, Dr France Cukjati, spoke on behalf of the Assembly and highlighted the issue of political exclusion during pre-election debates and presentations of the parties, as well as the right of citizens to be informed about candidates and their programmes by the media. He also called on everyone to go vote, as this is the only way we can shape our future in our shared country, Slovenia.
To make the decision a bit easier this time, it should be based on the “extremely positive experiences with the existing coalition, which consists of two right- and two left-wing parties, and which, in a short but very difficult time of the epidemic/pandemic, had the opportunity to show us what it means to work together, to lead the country of Slovenia, and to preside over the Council of the European Union in times of crisis, as well as how to actively respond to the war situation in Ukraine,” said Cukjati, as the current government managed to maintain a good balance between the epidemiological measures and normal life, even though the opposition was constantly trying to undermine it, despite the fact that it should have only looked at Austria to see what it means to act radically in times of crisis.
We need to say no to the politics of exclusion and the new faces
The Assembly for the Republic also drew attention to the politics of exclusion and the unconvincing new faces that appear before every election – we should say “a resounding NO!” to all of that, as, according to Cukjati, “the essence of politics is cooperation and finding reasonable compromises for the benefit of all citizens. A large part of Slovenian civil society and trade unions act as a covert tool of parties that behave in an exclusionist manner and are advocating for the preservation of acquired privileges, defend dubious equality, and protect inactivity and false solidarity.” Slovenia, with the rest of the world, has found itself in the midst of a crucial historical moment, especially when the war is being fought in Ukraine, which is both a cyber and economic war. Cukjati pointed out the importance of “Slovenian politics establishing good and peaceful relations, strengthening alliances with democracies, and supporting economic cooperation that ensures the work and well-being of all citizens,” adding that the alliance of the European Union and NATO is a guarantee for peace and stability of all their members, including Slovenia, because only within this international framework can we realise and enforce human rights, democratic standards, the balance between private and public services on all levels – from education, healthcare, the economy, as well as other subsystems.
It is the duty of the media to present an accurate picture of political candidates
It is the right of every free and democratic citizen of the Republic of Slovenia to gain insight and a clear picture from the media about political candidates, the decisions they have made so far, their results, and actions that they took for the benefit of all citizens of Slovenia, “and therefore, we expect that pre-election debates will take place on the level of mature political culture and with the power of arguments. The citizens of Slovenia deserve and demand a transparent pre-election campaign, which must also be the first priority of the national media outlet, RTV Slovenia,” Cukjati pointed out. In the continuation of his speech, precisely because of the common responsibility of all citizens, he called on everyone to go vote, because this is the only way we can “responsibly shape our common country, Slovenia.” Cukjati also emphasised that we need to make the decision based on facts and truth, and not “based on prejudices, labels, manipulations of truth, dirty games that are happening behind the scenes and are being directed by tabloid media. We need to forget about all those deceptions, as we are mature and responsible citizens of a free Slovenia.”
“Dear citizens of Slovenia. The choice between the parties, committed to democratic principles and the values of independence, is varied enough that it should not be difficult for us to decide on a healthy, strong, peaceful and trustworthy future of Slovenia and Europe!” Cukjati concluded his statement.
Tanja Brkić
