Slovenia: Government

Principal Government Officials

Chief of State: President Danilo Turk
Head of Government: Prime Minister Janez Jansa

Since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has instituted a stable, multi-party, democratic political system, characterized by regular elections, a free press, and an excellent human rights record. Slovenia is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional republic. Within its government, power is shared between a directly elected president, a prime minister, and a bicameral legislature (Parliament). Parliament is composed of the 90-member National Assembly--which takes the lead on virtually all legislative issues--and the National Council, a largely advisory body composed of representatives from social, economic, professional, and local interests. The Constitutional Court has the highest power of review of legislation to ensure its consistency with Slovenia's constitution. Its nine judges are elected by the National Assembly for a single 9-year term.

Slovenia's first President, Milan Kucan, concluded his second and final term in December 2002. Former Prime Minister Janez Drnovšek defeated opposition candidate Barbara Brezigar in the 2002 presidential elections by a comfortable margin and was inaugurated as Kucan's successor on December 22, 2002. In November 2007 elections, Danilo Turk succeeded Janez Drnovšek as President of the Republic of Slovenia with 68% of the vote. In the October 2004 election, Janez Janša became prime minister after his center-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) won a relative majority with over 29% of the vote. Parliamentary elections in September 2008 brought a new center-left coalition to power, with Borut Pahor, head of the Social Democrats, replacing Janša as prime minister in November 2008.

The government and most of the Slovenian polity share a common view of the desirability of a close association with the West, specifically of membership in both the EU and NATO. For all the apparent bitterness that divides left and right wings, there are few fundamental philosophical differences between them in the area of public policy. Slovenian society is built on consensus, which has converged on a social-democrat model. Political differences tend to have their roots in the roles that groups and individuals played during the years of communist rule and the struggle for independence.

Since independence in 1991, Slovenia has made tremendous progress establishing democratic institutions, enshrining respect for human rights, establishing a market economy, and adapting its military to Western norms and standards. In contrast to its southern neighbors, civil tranquility has marked this period, with strong economic growth for much of that time. Upon achieving independence, Slovenia offered citizenship to all residents, regardless of ethnicity or origin, avoiding a sectarian trap that has caught out many central European countries. However, debate continued on how best to accommodate an estimated 25,000 undocumented non-Slovenes who were resident in Slovenia at the time of independence, but whose records were "erased" when they did not take citizenship. Many in this group regularized their status or left the country; however, it was estimated that around 4,000 cases remained unresolved. In March 2010, Parliament passed a law granting permanent residency status to those 4,000 that is retroactive to the date of erasure (February 1992). Slovenia willingly accepted nearly 100,000 refugees from the fighting in Bosnia and has since participated in international stabilization efforts in the region.

On the international front, Slovenia has rapidly integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community of nations and is one of the focus countries for the U.S. southeast European policy aimed at reinforcing regional stability and integration. The Slovenian Government is well-positioned to be an influential partner for other southeast European governments at different stages of reform and integration, and has introduced initiatives toward this goal, including the establishment of the Center for European Perspective, the Bled Strategic Forum, and the Brdo Process. To these ends, the U.S. urges Slovenia to maintain momentum on internal economic, political, and legal reforms, while expanding its international cooperation as resources allow. U.S. and allied efforts to assist Slovenia's military restructuring and modernization efforts are ongoing.

FOREIGN RELATIONS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
In regular public statements, Slovenia's highest politicians underscore their government's commitment to expanding cooperative arrangements with neighbors and active contributions to international efforts aimed at bringing stability to southeast Europe. Resource limitations are a concern for the government, which does not wish to see itself spread too thin. Nonetheless, the Slovenes are taking concrete steps toward a more outward looking and constructive role in regional and international security arrangements, as resources allow.

Multilateral

From 1998 to 2000, Slovenia occupied a non-permanent seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council and in that capacity distinguished itself with a constructive, creative, and consensus-oriented activism; the country is lobbying for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2012-13.

Slovenia has been a member of the UN since May 1992 and of the Council of Europe since May 1993. It signed an association agreement with the EU in 1996 and became a full EU member state on May 1, 2004. The country officially became a member of NATO on March 29, 2004. It is a member of all major international financial institutions--the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development--as well as 40 other international organizations, including the WTO.

Slovenia served as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2005, served as the Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors for 2006-2007, held the presidency of the European Union from January to June 2008, and chaired the Council of Europe (CoE) for the latter half of 2009. In 2011, Ljubljana will become the headquarters for the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).

Slovenia is engaged with 29 countries in bilateral military exchange--most actively with the U.S.--and in regional cooperative arrangements in central and southeast Europe; it is an active participant in Southeast European Defense Ministerial (SEDM) activities. The country participates in or intends to contribute forces for five major multinational regional peacekeeping bodies. The Slovenian Armed Forces has around 475 troops deployed to support the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, EU Mission Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR), and other multilateral operations.

Slovenia takes an active role in humanitarian assistance, with donations to the victims of the Haiti earthquake, the Southeast Asian tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake, and Hurricane Katrina, as well as ongoing assistance to refugees in Darfur and support for the World Food Program.

Through its International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), Slovenia has created the demining instrument of choice for the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the rest of the Balkans, and now even further afield in Central Asia and Cyprus. The organization has raised over $261 million since its inception in 1998 (with the United States contributing over $128 million).

Slovenia participates in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials worldwide. It is party to the Wassenaar arrangement controlling exports of weapons and sensitive technology to countries of concern and has ratified all 13 international anti-terrorism conventions.

Relations With Neighbors
Slovenia's bilateral relations with its neighbors are generally harmonious and cooperative. However, unlike the other successor states of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia did not normalize relations with Serbia and Montenegro until after the passing from power of Slobodan Milosevic (although the Slovenes did open a representative office in Podgorica to work with Montenegrin President Djukanovic's government).

With its entry into the European Union, Slovenia has become a strong advocate for the inclusion of other former Yugoslav republics into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Slovenia's strong political ties to the region are complemented by strong economic ties. Slovenia is among the largest foreign investors in the region.
 

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