In recent days, we have been hearing some assessments claiming that the referendum initiatives submitted by the Slovenian Democratic Party (“Slovenska demokratska stranka” – SDS) are a waste of money and time. Prime Minister Robert Golob has described them as SDS games, and former “independent” journalist Mojca Šetinc Pašek even published a dossier on the topic of the non-sensibility of these democratic procedures on the website of the Freedom Movement party (“Gibanje svoboda”). But behind the ruling party’s anti-democratic reactions, there is nothing but fear. If the referendums were to succeed, that would further undermine the government’s reputation and, at the same time, call into question their otherwise very general programme orientations.
The Slovenian Democratic Party has submitted three referendum initiatives in this term. Firstly, an initiative on the amendment to the Government Act, which provides for an increase in the number of ministries; secondly, an initiative on the amendment to the Radio-Television Slovenia Act, which aims to complete the usurpation of the public service broadcasting by the left, and finally, an initiative on the amendment to the Long-Term Care Act, which provides for a two-year delay in the implementation of the act. The forthcoming referendums will decide on the efficiency of the government, both in operational and cost terms, the balance of the national media outlet, and on whether the elderly deserve the care they have paid for during the part of their lives they spent working. These are fundamental questions of life in Slovenia.
Regardless of what the ruling Freedom Movement coalition means about the referendums, they are a fundamental democratic tool, both in the hands of the ruling party and the opposition. It is on the basis of the referendum known as the Plebiscite that we have our own country today. It is a form of direct democracy and an event in which all citizens of the Republic of Slovenia who are old enough to vote have the right to express their opinion. So, what will the voters decide in the upcoming referendums?
The referendum on the amendments to the Government Act
The amendment to the Government Act will bring about more ministries. There are currently 14 ministries, but three additional ministries would be added to the current set, namely, the Ministry for a Solidarity-Based Future, the Ministry for Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. Each of these ministries will need a separate bureaucratic apparatus to function, the financial burden of which will, of course, fall on the taxpayer. The government claims that the aim of the law is to ensure that the new authorities will be able to carry out its tasks efficiently, in line with the coalition’s initiative. These ministries will be headed by retired, but clearly deserving, left-wing cadres, including Alenka Bratušek (who was elected by the voters at the parliamentary elections), whom Robert Golob saved from sure political oblivion.
If the changes to the Government Act were to be adopted, the coordinator of the Left party (“Levica”), Luka Mesec, would become the new Minister for a Solidarity-Based Future, and his current State Secretary, Uroš Maljevec, would succeed him at the top of the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation would be headed by Igor Papič, while the Ministry of Upbringing and Education would be taken over by the current State Secretary Darjo Felda. Bojan Kumer would take over the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy, and his current State Secretary, Alenka Bratušek, would take over the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Sport would no longer be dealt with as part of the Ministry of Education but would instead become part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, headed by Matjaž Han of the Social Democrats party (“Socialni demokrati” – SD). From then on, the ministry in question would be called the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport. The Ministry for the Environment and Spatial Planning, which is currently headed by Uroš Brežan, would also be renamed the Ministry for Nature Conservation and Spatial Planning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Tanja Fajon, would be renamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs.
The referendum on the amendments to the Radio-Television Slovenia Act
The amendment of the Radio-Television Slovenia Act has been most talked about in the media so far. And it is no wonder, as it affects the very functioning of the public service broadcasting. The most significant change introduced by the amendment is the change in the appointment of the members of the Programme Council. The Left party wants to change the current system, in which every four years, the electorate has the opportunity (through the elections) to influence the composition of the programme council. The political parties that make it into parliament appoint 21 of the 29 representatives, but under the new proposal, the political parties would only appoint two representatives, and most of the others would be appointed by the so-called civil society, which is essentially just an extension of left-wing politics that would cement its influence on the public institution in this way. The current legal regime was introduced by the first government of Janez Janša, and the law was subject to a referendum, which it passed.
According to the Slovenian Democratic Party, the petitioner of the referendum, the amendment of the left-wing coalition also has a number of other shortcomings at the procedural and substantive levels. The coalition adopted the law under an urgent procedure, which is foreseen for the adoption of legislation in the event of natural disasters or a territorial threat to Slovenia. As a result, public debate was severely curtailed when the law was adopted. At the substantive level, the law introduces other problematic changes, such as the early termination of the mandates of the Director and of the programme councillors who were legally appointed. The amended law also unreflectively increases the influence of employees on the management of the institution.
The referendum on the amendments to the Long-Term Care Act
The nation will apparently also have to decide on changes to the Long-Term Care Act. This is one of the greatest achievements of the Janša reform government. The law in question saw the light of day after 20 years of delays and reworkings, with over 100 different versions of the law before the last government got its hands on it. The law brought the following benefits to the people suffering from illness, old age, injuries, disabilities and loss of intellectual capacity:
- assistance with daily living tasks, such as help with household chores, buying groceries and other necessities, preparing and serving meals,
- nursing services related to daily tasks, such as the monitoring of vital signs and other parameters, monitoring health status, preparing and supervising medication,
- services to enhance and maintain independence, such as services aimed at enhancing and maintaining functional abilities, advice on adapting the living environment, post-diagnostic support services for people with physical and mental health problems,
- e-care is also foreseen in the law; these services include, in particular, ICT aids and services and telecare services to ensure the independence and security of the beneficiary in his or her home environment.
All these benefits for the elderly are now under threat. The coalition voted for an amendment to the law that allows them to delay the implementation of the law by two years, citing a lack of funds as the reason for the decision in question. This is a lie, the SDS party believes. When submitting the signatures for the referendum, the SDS MP Zvone Černač said: “In fact, this delay means that the law will never happen. It has only been kept in place because this law is one of the milestones in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which means that its abolition would call into question the assets from the Recovery Fund.”
In independent Slovenia, we have had 24 referendums so far
- 1996 – the Slovenian Electoral System Referendum: a 37.9 % turnout
- 1998 – the subsequent legislative Referendum on Infertility Treatment and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: a 35.66 % turnout
- 2001 – the legislative Referendum on the Financing of the Construction of the Trbovlje Thermal Power Plant: a 27,33 % turnout
- 2003 – the Referendum on Railways and Telecommunications: a 31.16 % and 31.11% turnout
- 2003 – the Slovenian European Union and NATO membership referendum: a 60.44% turnout
- 2003 – the Slovenian Sunday Shopping Referendum: a 27.54 % turnout
- 2004 – the Technical Law Referendum: a 31.54 % turnout
- 2005 – the Radio-Television Slovenia Referendum: a 30.71 % turnout
- 2006 – the Municipalities Referendum (29. 1. 2006)
- 2006 – the Municipalities Referendum (9. 4. 2006)
- 2007 – the Insurance Companies Referendum: a 57,98 % turnout
- 2008 – the consultative Referendum on Regions: a 10,98 % turnout
- 2010 – the Referendum on the Arbitration Agreement Act: a 42.66 % turnout
- 2010 – the Referendum on the Radio-Television Slovenia Act (2): a 14.78 % turnout
- 2011 – the Referendum on Part-Time Work Act: a 33.99 % turnout
- 2011 – the Referendum on the Act on Amendments and Supplements on the Protection of Documentary and Archival Materials and Archives
- 2011 – the Referendum on the Pension and Disability Insurance Act
- 2011 – the Referendum on the Act on the Prevention of Undeclared Work and Employment
- 2012 – the legislative Referendum on the Family Code: a 30.31 % turnout
- 2014 – the Referendum on Archives: an 11.47 % turnout
- 2015 – the Referendum on the Marriage and Family Relations Act: a 36.20 % turnout
- 2017 – the Referendum on the Construction, Management and Governance of the Second Track of the Divača-Koper Railway Line Act: a 20.55 % turnout
- 2018 – the second vote in the Referendum on the Construction, Management and Governance of the Second Track of the Divača-Koper Railway Line Act: a 15.01 % turnout
- 2021 – the Referendum on the Water Act
Andrej Žitnik
