A law to ensure journalistic independence and editorial autonomy of national public broadcaster RTV Slovenia has been passed in the National Assembly. However, its governing executives, who were appointed by the previous government, have approached the Constitutional Court for a review

The first round of the election was a setback for the incumbent center-left-liberal coalition government of the Social Democrats, Freedom Movement and Levica, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob

The outgoing right-wing coalition government led by Janez Jansa had faced widespread protests from civil society for its unpopular anti-worker and authoritarian policies

The Left in Slovenia, Levica, demanded the immediate resignation of interior minister Ales Hojs, who is being held directly responsible for police violence and excessive use of force against anti-government protesters in capital Ljubljana

The amendments to the water protection law which could have promoted uncontrolled construction in coastal areas were rejected by the Slovenian people in a national referendum on July 11

The protesters have alleged that space for dialogue with the government has shrunk and that the fundamental rights of the citizens, freedom of the press and judiciary are under threat

The right-wing government in Slovenia had planned the procurement of arms worth EUR 780 million for the military to cater to NATO. This had strongly been opposed by the left which had called the proposal unwarranted

The right-wing dominated Slovenian National Assembly last week voted down the left-supported citizens’ initiative calling for a national referendum on the government’s plan for carrying out massive military expenditure

The amendments proposed by the Slovenian government make it more difficult for organizations to attain the status of a nature conservation organization in public interest. This is believed to be a step towards the sale of the country’s resources