Slovenia
Slovenia, located in Central Europe, was the first republic to secede from Yugoslavia in 1991. It performs in the high range in Representation and Rights, and it exhibits mid-range performance in Rule of Law and Participation. Performance in the latter two categories approaches the border of high performance. Over the last five years, Slovenia has experienced notable advances in Effective Parliament, Access to Justice, Civil Liberties, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Association. Today, Slovenia is leading Central Europe in economic performance, boasting an open economy that relies heavily on foreign trade, chiefly with neighbouring EU member states.
In the years after independence from Yugoslavia, the country’s cultural, economic and political proximity to Central and Western Europe contributed to a national identity simultaneously pulled towards these neighbours and towards neighbours in the Balkans. Today, Slovenian society is divided along conservative and liberal, or traditional and modern values. Political competition in Slovenia is mainly structured around an urban-rural cleavage, where the right broadly represents the rural and religious voter base. The majority of religious adherents in Slovenia are Catholic, and the Catholic Church plays an active role in politics, vocal in particular in political debates on abortion. The country’s minority groups include Roma, Albanian, Bosniak, Croat, and Serb communities, as well as Hungarian and Italian minorities recognised in the post-independence Constitution. Slovenian political cleavages also overlap with attitudes towards the country’s communist legacy: the conservative right has its roots in the anti-communist movement. In recent years, the salience of immigration has been on the rise in the eyes of Slovenian voters, and the politicization of immigration has tapped into the wider conservative-liberal divide in society.
Slovenia consistently performs in the mid-to high range on gender equality, and significant improvements were seen over the last year. These can be attributed to progress made in Slovenian women’s parliamentary representation. Persistent challenges to gender equality include the gender pay gap and violence against women, as well as intersectional discrimination that Roma women face. Meanwhile, the recent legalization of same-sex marriage and joint adoption have signaled progress on LGBTQIA+ rights.
After a period of decline across all categories of democracy, Slovenia’s performance rebounded between 2021 and 2022. The government has enacted a series of reforms since coming to power. Media reform was high on the list of priorities, and a referendum allowed voters to endorse a plan to depoliticize public media. It will be important to watch Freedom of the Press in the years ahead to assess the effects of this plan. Relatedly, it will be important to watch Effective Parliament as the new government works to implement its platform. Furthermore, turbulence in the European economy, including inflation and the rising cost of living could yet impact Basic Welfare and people’s support for reform.
Monthly Event Reports
June 2023 | Law on management of public broadcaster passes constitutional review
The Constitutional Court approved the passing of amendments to the law on public broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV SLO) after reviewing contested parts of the law. In May, the Court lifted a temporary suspension which had blocked the implementation of amendments to restructure the management of RTV SLO. That amendment transferred management to a council appointed by civil society representatives and RTV SLO employees, whereas the previous supervisory board members were appointed by the National Assembly. Media freedom groups lauded the ruling as enabling the public broadcaster to “rebuild its editorial independence and carry out its public service mission free from political interference,” while noting remaining challenges including a staffing crisis, funding problems, and public distrust.
January 2023 | Harsher sentencing for hate crimes
The National Assembly passed amendments to the criminal code, providing latitude for hate crimes to be sentenced more harshly, and strengthening Slovenia’s legal framework for protecting minority rights. The amendments allow the victims’ nationality, race, sex, religion, or disability to be considered when sentences are decided.
November 2022 | Musar becomes first female President after run-off
On 13 November Nataša Pirc Musar became Slovenia’s first female head of state. Musar is an independent candidate, and a former journalist and lawyer who famously represented former United States First Lady Melania Trump in a libel case. Although the role of president is largely ceremonial, Musar’s victory gives her gatekeeping authority. She will appoint members of the anti-corruption commission and nominate the Prime Minister and members of the Constitutional Court (who are then elected by Parliament). Voter turnout was 51 per cent, a considerable improvement compared to the 42 per cent turnout in the 2012 presidential election. Independent candidates also performed well in local elections held on 20 November. The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) was the biggest winner of the established parties in local councils and mayoral positions.
October 2022 | Parliament amends law on same-sex marriage
On 4 October the Parliament passed amendments to the Family Code consistent with landmark decisions of the Constitutional Court reached in July 2022. The amendments passed by 48 MPs, with 29 against and one abstention. In July, the Constitutional Court had found distinguishing between same-sex and heterosexual couples discriminatory, and suspended regulations preventing same-sex couples from entering into marriage and from being included in the list of candidates for joint adoption. The Parliament was given six months to bring legislation in line with the ruling.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
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