Dimitrij Rupel, a long-time Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote a letter to the president of the German liberals, Christian Wolfgang Lindner, regarding Alenka Bratušek’s efforts to get the SMC party excluded from the European liberals’ ALDE group. Rupel called on Lindner to encourage an independent investigation into Bratušek’s proposal, as what she is demanding is in no way similar to liberalism in the slightest.
This whole affair began when the SAB party sent a letter to the management of the ALDE group, proposing the initiation of proceedings to exclude the SMC party from the group. This step was announced due to developments related to the Slovenian Press Agency and the non-appointment of the European delegated prosecutors.
At the beginning of the letter, Dimitrij Rupel emphasised that he appreciates the policies of the FDP party (which is also a member of ALDE), which is led by Christian Wolfgang Lindner, as he had elevated it to the very top of the political establishment. “German Liberals and its prominent personalities enjoy respect and high esteem of the Slovenian Liberals, and I am confident that this will continue. Let me call your attention to a dramatic misunderstanding,” Rupel wrote in the letter. He described the situation in Slovenian politics, which became very complicated after 2008, and also difficult to understand for any external observer.
Bratušek wants to harm the SMC party
After the death of Janez Drnovšek, who was the president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Slovenia (Liberalna demokracija Slovenije – LDS), his successors lost the next elections and later merged or even formed new parties with more socialist orientations. Today, we have two parties in Slovenia that are considered liberal, and both are part of the ALDE group in the European Parliament, Rupel explained to the president of the FDP party. “One of them is the SMC party, which is trying to steer away from extremist politics and is also part of the coalition; the other is the Party of Alenka Bratušek (SAB), which is in the opposition, and it recently signed an alliance with the Social Democrats and another two extremist parties of leftist orientation.” There is nothing dramatically wrong with that, Rupel pointed out, except for the fact that Bratušek decided to propose for the SMC party to be excluded from the ALDE group. Her only intention in all of this is to harm the election results of the SMC party and its president Zdravko Počivalšek.
Rupel also told Wolfgang Lindner that he probably remembers Bratušek from her catastrophic failure in becoming a member of Juncker’s European Commission.
In light of all of the above, Rupel called on the president of the German liberals to initiate a neutral investigation of the case. You can read Rupel’s letter in its entirety below.
“Dear Mr Chairman:
I am writing to You as a fellow Liberal who has – indeed some time ago – learned a great deal about Liberalism and international relations from Your predecessor Hans Dietrich Genscher whom in Slovenia we regard as one of the most illustrious personalities of European politics and who has contributed substanitially to the establishment of the free Slovenian state.
I have – as the first President of the Slovenian Democratic Alliance and later as the President of the Council of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia – frequently visited the FDP headquarters, and even attended a few FDP conferences. Let me say that I admired and keep admiring the policies of the party You lead and that You have so skilfully elevated to the top of the German political establishment.
German Liberals and its prominent personalities enjoy respect and high esteem of the Slovenian Liberals, and I am confident that this will continue. Let me in connection with Slovenian-German and Slovenian-European political relations call Your attention to a dramatic misunderstanding. After 2008, Slovenian politics became rather complicated and difficult to understand by a foreign observer. The leader of the Liberal Democracy Janez Drnovšek died, his successors lost elections, and due to a kind of abstention syndrome – to be able to keep high political positions – joined or even established parties of rather Socialist orientation. Today, we have two parties that both claim to be Liberal, and both joined the ALDE group in the EU Parliament. One of them, The Party of Modern Centre (SMC) – struggling to steer away from extremist politics – is a part of the Government; while the other one, The Party of Alenka Bratušek (SAB), is in opposition, and it recently signed an alliance with (originally Communist) Social Democrats and another two extremist parties of Leftist orientation. There is nothing dramatically wrong with that, except that Mme Bratušek, whom You may remember for her catastrophic failure to become a member of the Juncker European Commission, decided to propose the exclusion of SMC from the ALDE group. The move was intended to harm the electoral prospects of the SMC and its leader Zdravko Počivalšek.
I urge You, Mr Chairman, to encourage a proper neutral Liberal investigation of the case that is not exactly flattering to the Liberal cause. I remain follower of the example of the German Liberals and Your admirer.
Dimitrij Rupel”
Anita Gužvič
