#Karl Erjavec

[protoindoeuropean]

These are the preliminary results from yesterday's (24 April 2022) parliamentary elections, after 99.98% of the votes have been counted (as of 11:40 today), and here are some observations:

The turnout was the highest since 1992 in absolute terms (2022: 1 185 125*, 1996: 1 136 679, 1992: 1 277 604), and the highest since 2000 in relative terms (2022: 69.83*%, 2011: 65.60%, 2000: 70.14%).

Janša (PM 2020–2022) maintained his voter base, but did not improve on his results from 2004–2011 (SDS got more than 280k votes in those years, this time they got just under 280k), despite the higher turnout this year.

Golob (PM-to-be) was brought into politics after the Janša government basically removed him from the position of the CEO of one of the country's largest energy companies (that focused on carbon-free energy provision) in November 2021. He had previously been involved in the party Pozitivna Slovenija and followed Alenka Bratušek in the split, but his focus was on the business side of his career. His party, GS – Gibanje svoboda "Freedom Movement", sprung up in January 2022 and took over the traditional left-leaning voter base that had initially voted for LDS (1992–2004) and after the disappointment of SD (2008, whose government was met with ire over unpopular reforms, meant to help with the financial crisis), went over to, first, Janković's PS (2011), then Cerar's SMC (2014) and then partly Šarec's LMŠ (2018).

GS thus basically ate up LMŠ (Šarec was PM 2018–2020), SAB, DeSUS and SMC/Konkretno. As a result, only 5 parties managed the 4% threshold and made it into the parliament, the smallest number in the country's history (contrasted with 9 parties in the previous elections, the most in the country's history). Meanwhile a record 10 parties got between 1 and 4% of the votes and more than 280k people (light grey on the chart) that voted for their chosen party are left without representation in the National Assembly (by far the largest number since 1992).

GS received the highest number of votes in history (405 903* vs. LDS (2000): 390 306), the 2nd highest percentage of votes (34.56*% vs. LDS (2000): 36.26%) and – because of the small number of parties in the parliament – the most MPs in history (41 vs. SMC (2014): 36).

Of the parties mentioned above: DeSUS gradually collapsed after January 2020 when, after almost 15 years, Karl Erjavec was defeated by Aleksandra Pivec in a vote for party president. After a series of questionable decisions and unresolved scandals the party was left by both of its former presidents and in the end also its MPs (whose continued support of the Janša government even after the party left the coalition, and even when their own party president was suggested to take over the position of the PM(!!), left them in constant clashes with their party leadership). It received less than 1% of the votes in these elections, so it won't even receive state funding for future operation.

SMC first tried to cover up their betrayal of their 2018 campaign promise that they won't form a coalition with Janša by changing their name to Konkretno and later even further by joining up by with some other minor "centrist" (read: right-wing) parties into an alliance Povežimo Slovenijo "Let's Connect Slovenia", which, however, only managed 3.4% and thus failed to pass the threshold.

Even though the parties SD, LMŠ, SAB and Levica formed a coalition called KUL (Koalicija ustavnega loka "Constitutional Arch Coalition"; presumably a play on the word "cool") and protested the actions of the Janša government ever since it came in power, they were eclipsed by an outsider, GS, in the elections, in part because of an unofficial non-agression pact between KUL and GS – since everyone's main goal was ousting Janša. In the end, LMŠ got 3.7%, SAB 2.6% and their failure means that the future coalition talks, which were initially meant to be between GS and KUL, will now, as it seems, proceed with the remaining parties separately – in the 90 member National Assembly, GS and SD alone can form a sufficient majority (46 votes are needed: 41 + 7 = 48; + national minorities (2) = 50).

[homeosloven]

when Karl Erjavec said "nov obraz bo nova napaka" >>>>

[peterjancic]

Po "junaškem" begu iz Erbila, so naši vojaki spet tam

Po “junaškem” begu iz Erbila, so naši vojaki spet tam

“Nov kontingent slovenske vojske na misiji Neomajna Odločenost je že na območju delovanja v severnem delu Iraka. Šestčlanski kontingent začenja s prevzemom dolžnosti v območju odgovornosti misije in v prihodnjih dneh nadaljuje z usposabljanjem varnostnih sil v severnem delu Iraka.”

Tako so danes iz obrambnega ministrstva sporočili, da so se slovenski vojaki vrnili v Erbil v Iraku.

Iz…

[antisemitism-eu]

Slovenia recognition of a Palestinian state decision is suspended

Via European Jewish Press:

The Slovenian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee has suspended a debate on whether to recognize a "state of Palestine." The committee was to vote on a draft resolution with the backing of Slovenia Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec before it passes to the parliament for a full vote. According to officials, the foreign affairs committee suspended its session pending an official government position. The committee will then meet again on the government proposal before the final vote in the plenary, which is expected in March or April. On Friday, Slovenia’s president Borut Pahor cast doubt on his country recognising Palestine. 

read more The New Antisemite: http://ift.tt/2Gycx8t

[europephotoboss]

"President of the Estonian parliament [Riigikogu] Mr. Eiki Nestor is on a visit to Slovenia"

“President of the Estonian parliament [Riigikogu] Mr. Eiki Nestor is on a visit to Slovenia”

President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Eiki Nestor is on a visit to Slovenia. In Ljubljana, Nestor will meet with President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, Speaker of the National Assembly Milan Brglez, Prime Minister Miro Cerar and Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Erjavec.

According to Nestor, the aim of the visit to Slovenia is to confirm the close bilateral relations and to discuss the…

[janezplatise]

KARL ERJAVEC MINISTER ZA OBRAMBO GLAVNI ZBOR ZVVS HRASTNIK ...

[superbmakerzombie]

KARL ERJAVEC POSTAJE NOVI SLOVENSKI MINISTAR OBRANE 'Poznajem Krstičevića, imamo zajedničke izazove, mislim da ćemo dobro surađivati...'

KARL ERJAVEC POSTAJE NOVI SLOVENSKI MINISTAR OBRANE 'Poznajem Krstičevića, imamo zajedničke izazove, mislim da ćemo dobro surađivati…'

Slovenski političar Karl Erjavec koji se kao ministar vanjskih poslova u dosadašnjoj vladi odbijao sastati sa svojom hrvatskom kolegicom zbog arbitražnog zapleta ocijenio je u četvrtak u parlamentu da to neće biti problem kad preuzme ministarstvo obrane u budućoj vladi i da će dobro surađivati s hrvatskim ministrom obrane Damirom Krstičevićem.

Tijekom ispitivanja pred parlamentarnim odborom za…

[dani-qrt]

Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An anti-immigration opposition party won Slovenia’s parliamentary election on Sunday, taking 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) arrives for press conference after the general election in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

However, the center-right Slovenia Democratic Party (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa may struggle to pull together a government as its hardline stance on immigration has left it short of potential coalition partners.

Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult. “We will probably have to wait for some time … before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” he told reporters after he cast his own vote.

Voters in a number of eastern members of the European Union – notably Hungary and Poland – have turned to parties which oppose the bloc’s plans under which countries would accept asylum seekers under a quota system.

The SDS, supported by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is firmly opposed to such quotas and says most of the money used to support them should be diverted to the security forces.

“(Our) party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first,” Jansa said after preliminary results came out, adding that the SDS is ready for coalition talks with all other parliamentary parties. “We are open for cooperation, Slovenia is facing times which need cooperation,” he said.

Jansa, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013, had said he would cut taxes and speed up privatization.

He spent six months in prison in 2014 after being convicted on bribery charges related to a 2006 arms deal but was freed after the Constitutional Court ordered a retrial which did not take place because a 10-year time limit expired. Jansa had denied any wrongdoing.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS), and his wife Urska cast their votes at a polling station during the general election in Velenje, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

FRAGMENTED BALLOT

In a highly fragmented ballot, the Adriatic state’s 1.7 million-strong electorate was choosing between 25 parties of which nine made it to the parliament.

The result with 99 percent of vote counted put the SDS ahead with 25 seats in the 90-seat parliament. A center-left party, The List of Marjan Sarec (LMS), was in second place with 12.6 percent of the vote and 13 seats.

LMS leader Marjan Sarec told reporters after preliminary results were released that he expected to get an opportunity to form a government, as most parties had said before the election that they were unlikely to join an SDS-led government.

“If everyone sticks to what they said before the election, we expect to get a chance to form a government,” Sarec said.

President Borut Pahor has said he plans to give the first chance to form a government to the party with most seats in parliament after the election. However, the SDS would need to link up with at least two other parties to gain a majority.

Turnout was around 51.5 percent compared with 51.7 percent four years ago.

The election was called in March after center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before his term was due to end. His departure followed a Supreme Court order for a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Cerar’s Party of The Modern Centre was in fourth place with just 10 seats.

EARLY ELECTION POSSIBILITY

Jansa said the migration crisis is one of the biggest challenges that the EU faces, adding that it should work to improve conditions in countries where migrants come from.

Analysts say predicting what the future government might look like is hard and some believe another election could not be ruled out.

“There will be trouble in forming a government but still a government led by Jansa with at least one center-left party in it is the most likely outcome,” said Peter Jancic, the editor of a political website Spletni Casopis.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, whose center-left party Desus got five seats, said his party was determined not to join a government led by Jansa, and added: “It is possible that we will have (another) early election.”

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided a bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to economic growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects GDP to expand by 5.1 percent this year.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatization of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The new cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system.

The new parliament will have to confirm the next central bank governor, who will also sit on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, after the previous governor Bostjan Jazbec resigned in April to take a position on the EU’s Single Resolution Board.

Reporting By Marja Novak, additional reporting by Boris Kavic and Branko Filipovic; editing by John Stonestreet, Jane Merriman and David Stamp

The post Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LffnRh via Online News

[newestbalance]

Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An anti-immigration opposition party won Slovenia’s parliamentary election on Sunday, taking 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) arrives for press conference after the general election in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

However, the center-right Slovenia Democratic Party (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa may struggle to pull together a government as its hardline stance on immigration has left it short of potential coalition partners.

Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult. “We will probably have to wait for some time … before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” he told reporters after he cast his own vote.

Voters in a number of eastern members of the European Union – notably Hungary and Poland – have turned to parties which oppose the bloc’s plans under which countries would accept asylum seekers under a quota system.

The SDS, supported by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is firmly opposed to such quotas and says most of the money used to support them should be diverted to the security forces.

“(Our) party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first,” Jansa said after preliminary results came out, adding that the SDS is ready for coalition talks with all other parliamentary parties. “We are open for cooperation, Slovenia is facing times which need cooperation,” he said.

Jansa, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013, had said he would cut taxes and speed up privatization.

He spent six months in prison in 2014 after being convicted on bribery charges related to a 2006 arms deal but was freed after the Constitutional Court ordered a retrial which did not take place because a 10-year time limit expired. Jansa had denied any wrongdoing.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS), and his wife Urska cast their votes at a polling station during the general election in Velenje, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

FRAGMENTED BALLOT

In a highly fragmented ballot, the Adriatic state’s 1.7 million-strong electorate was choosing between 25 parties of which nine made it to the parliament.

The result with 99 percent of vote counted put the SDS ahead with 25 seats in the 90-seat parliament. A center-left party, The List of Marjan Sarec (LMS), was in second place with 12.6 percent of the vote and 13 seats.

LMS leader Marjan Sarec told reporters after preliminary results were released that he expected to get an opportunity to form a government, as most parties had said before the election that they were unlikely to join an SDS-led government.

“If everyone sticks to what they said before the election, we expect to get a chance to form a government,” Sarec said.

President Borut Pahor has said he plans to give the first chance to form a government to the party with most seats in parliament after the election. However, the SDS would need to link up with at least two other parties to gain a majority.

Turnout was around 51.5 percent compared with 51.7 percent four years ago.

The election was called in March after center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before his term was due to end. His departure followed a Supreme Court order for a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Cerar’s Party of The Modern Centre was in fourth place with just 10 seats.

EARLY ELECTION POSSIBILITY

Jansa said the migration crisis is one of the biggest challenges that the EU faces, adding that it should work to improve conditions in countries where migrants come from.

Analysts say predicting what the future government might look like is hard and some believe another election could not be ruled out.

“There will be trouble in forming a government but still a government led by Jansa with at least one center-left party in it is the most likely outcome,” said Peter Jancic, the editor of a political website Spletni Casopis.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, whose center-left party Desus got five seats, said his party was determined not to join a government led by Jansa, and added: “It is possible that we will have (another) early election.”

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided a bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to economic growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects GDP to expand by 5.1 percent this year.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatization of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The new cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system.

The new parliament will have to confirm the next central bank governor, who will also sit on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, after the previous governor Bostjan Jazbec resigned in April to take a position on the EU’s Single Resolution Board.

Reporting By Marja Novak, additional reporting by Boris Kavic and Branko Filipovic; editing by John Stonestreet, Jane Merriman and David Stamp

The post Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LffnRh via Everyday News

[cleopatrarps]

Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An anti-immigration opposition party won Slovenia’s parliamentary election on Sunday, taking 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) arrives for press conference after the general election in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

However, the center-right Slovenia Democratic Party (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa may struggle to pull together a government as its hardline stance on immigration has left it short of potential coalition partners.

Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult. “We will probably have to wait for some time … before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” he told reporters after he cast his own vote.

Voters in a number of eastern members of the European Union – notably Hungary and Poland – have turned to parties which oppose the bloc’s plans under which countries would accept asylum seekers under a quota system.

The SDS, supported by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is firmly opposed to such quotas and says most of the money used to support them should be diverted to the security forces.

“(Our) party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first,” Jansa said after preliminary results came out, adding that the SDS is ready for coalition talks with all other parliamentary parties. “We are open for cooperation, Slovenia is facing times which need cooperation,” he said.

Jansa, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013, had said he would cut taxes and speed up privatization.

He spent six months in prison in 2014 after being convicted on bribery charges related to a 2006 arms deal but was freed after the Constitutional Court ordered a retrial which did not take place because a 10-year time limit expired. Jansa had denied any wrongdoing.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS), and his wife Urska cast their votes at a polling station during the general election in Velenje, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

FRAGMENTED BALLOT

In a highly fragmented ballot, the Adriatic state’s 1.7 million-strong electorate was choosing between 25 parties of which nine made it to the parliament.

The result with 99 percent of vote counted put the SDS ahead with 25 seats in the 90-seat parliament. A center-left party, The List of Marjan Sarec (LMS), was in second place with 12.6 percent of the vote and 13 seats.

LMS leader Marjan Sarec told reporters after preliminary results were released that he expected to get an opportunity to form a government, as most parties had said before the election that they were unlikely to join an SDS-led government.

“If everyone sticks to what they said before the election, we expect to get a chance to form a government,” Sarec said.

President Borut Pahor has said he plans to give the first chance to form a government to the party with most seats in parliament after the election. However, the SDS would need to link up with at least two other parties to gain a majority.

Turnout was around 51.5 percent compared with 51.7 percent four years ago.

The election was called in March after center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before his term was due to end. His departure followed a Supreme Court order for a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Cerar’s Party of The Modern Centre was in fourth place with just 10 seats.

EARLY ELECTION POSSIBILITY

Jansa said the migration crisis is one of the biggest challenges that the EU faces, adding that it should work to improve conditions in countries where migrants come from.

Analysts say predicting what the future government might look like is hard and some believe another election could not be ruled out.

“There will be trouble in forming a government but still a government led by Jansa with at least one center-left party in it is the most likely outcome,” said Peter Jancic, the editor of a political website Spletni Casopis.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, whose center-left party Desus got five seats, said his party was determined not to join a government led by Jansa, and added: “It is possible that we will have (another) early election.”

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided a bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to economic growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects GDP to expand by 5.1 percent this year.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatization of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The new cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system.

The new parliament will have to confirm the next central bank governor, who will also sit on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, after the previous governor Bostjan Jazbec resigned in April to take a position on the EU’s Single Resolution Board.

Reporting By Marja Novak, additional reporting by Boris Kavic and Branko Filipovic; editing by John Stonestreet, Jane Merriman and David Stamp

The post Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LffnRh via News of World

[peterjancic]

DeSUS pod Pivčevo poskočil, SAB in SMC pod pragom

DeSUS pod Pivčevo poskočil, SAB in SMC pod pragom

Po ukinitvi Ninamedie Nikole Damjanića na javni TV Slovenija, ki novo agencijo za raziskovanje javnega mnenja še izbira, prva letošnja raziskava Mediana za POPTV ni prinesla zelo presenetljivih rezultatov.

Kot že v preteklosti so namerili, da je LMŠ Marjana Šarca rahlo pred SDS Janeza Janše. S precejšnjim zaostankom pa sledijo skoraj skupaj SD Dejana Židana, Levica Luke Meseca in NSi Mateja…

[party-hard-or-die]

Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An anti-immigration opposition party won Slovenia’s parliamentary election on Sunday, taking 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) arrives for press conference after the general election in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

However, the center-right Slovenia Democratic Party (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa may struggle to pull together a government as its hardline stance on immigration has left it short of potential coalition partners.

Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult. “We will probably have to wait for some time … before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” he told reporters after he cast his own vote.

Voters in a number of eastern members of the European Union – notably Hungary and Poland – have turned to parties which oppose the bloc’s plans under which countries would accept asylum seekers under a quota system.

The SDS, supported by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is firmly opposed to such quotas and says most of the money used to support them should be diverted to the security forces.

“(Our) party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first,” Jansa said after preliminary results came out, adding that the SDS is ready for coalition talks with all other parliamentary parties. “We are open for cooperation, Slovenia is facing times which need cooperation,” he said.

Jansa, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013, had said he would cut taxes and speed up privatization.

He spent six months in prison in 2014 after being convicted on bribery charges related to a 2006 arms deal but was freed after the Constitutional Court ordered a retrial which did not take place because a 10-year time limit expired. Jansa had denied any wrongdoing.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS), and his wife Urska cast their votes at a polling station during the general election in Velenje, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

FRAGMENTED BALLOT

In a highly fragmented ballot, the Adriatic state’s 1.7 million-strong electorate was choosing between 25 parties of which nine made it to the parliament.

The result with 99 percent of vote counted put the SDS ahead with 25 seats in the 90-seat parliament. A center-left party, The List of Marjan Sarec (LMS), was in second place with 12.6 percent of the vote and 13 seats.

LMS leader Marjan Sarec told reporters after preliminary results were released that he expected to get an opportunity to form a government, as most parties had said before the election that they were unlikely to join an SDS-led government.

“If everyone sticks to what they said before the election, we expect to get a chance to form a government,” Sarec said.

President Borut Pahor has said he plans to give the first chance to form a government to the party with most seats in parliament after the election. However, the SDS would need to link up with at least two other parties to gain a majority.

Turnout was around 51.5 percent compared with 51.7 percent four years ago.

The election was called in March after center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before his term was due to end. His departure followed a Supreme Court order for a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Cerar’s Party of The Modern Centre was in fourth place with just 10 seats.

EARLY ELECTION POSSIBILITY

Jansa said the migration crisis is one of the biggest challenges that the EU faces, adding that it should work to improve conditions in countries where migrants come from.

Analysts say predicting what the future government might look like is hard and some believe another election could not be ruled out.

“There will be trouble in forming a government but still a government led by Jansa with at least one center-left party in it is the most likely outcome,” said Peter Jancic, the editor of a political website Spletni Casopis.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, whose center-left party Desus got five seats, said his party was determined not to join a government led by Jansa, and added: “It is possible that we will have (another) early election.”

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided a bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to economic growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects GDP to expand by 5.1 percent this year.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatization of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The new cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system.

The new parliament will have to confirm the next central bank governor, who will also sit on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, after the previous governor Bostjan Jazbec resigned in April to take a position on the EU’s Single Resolution Board.

Reporting By Marja Novak, additional reporting by Boris Kavic and Branko Filipovic; editing by John Stonestreet, Jane Merriman and David Stamp

The post Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LffnRh via Breaking News

[dragnews]

Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An anti-immigration opposition party won Slovenia’s parliamentary election on Sunday, taking 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) arrives for press conference after the general election in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

However, the center-right Slovenia Democratic Party (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa may struggle to pull together a government as its hardline stance on immigration has left it short of potential coalition partners.

Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult. “We will probably have to wait for some time … before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” he told reporters after he cast his own vote.

Voters in a number of eastern members of the European Union – notably Hungary and Poland – have turned to parties which oppose the bloc’s plans under which countries would accept asylum seekers under a quota system.

The SDS, supported by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is firmly opposed to such quotas and says most of the money used to support them should be diverted to the security forces.

“(Our) party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first,” Jansa said after preliminary results came out, adding that the SDS is ready for coalition talks with all other parliamentary parties. “We are open for cooperation, Slovenia is facing times which need cooperation,” he said.

Jansa, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013, had said he would cut taxes and speed up privatization.

He spent six months in prison in 2014 after being convicted on bribery charges related to a 2006 arms deal but was freed after the Constitutional Court ordered a retrial which did not take place because a 10-year time limit expired. Jansa had denied any wrongdoing.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS), and his wife Urska cast their votes at a polling station during the general election in Velenje, Slovenia, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

FRAGMENTED BALLOT

In a highly fragmented ballot, the Adriatic state’s 1.7 million-strong electorate was choosing between 25 parties of which nine made it to the parliament.

The result with 99 percent of vote counted put the SDS ahead with 25 seats in the 90-seat parliament. A center-left party, The List of Marjan Sarec (LMS), was in second place with 12.6 percent of the vote and 13 seats.

LMS leader Marjan Sarec told reporters after preliminary results were released that he expected to get an opportunity to form a government, as most parties had said before the election that they were unlikely to join an SDS-led government.

“If everyone sticks to what they said before the election, we expect to get a chance to form a government,” Sarec said.

President Borut Pahor has said he plans to give the first chance to form a government to the party with most seats in parliament after the election. However, the SDS would need to link up with at least two other parties to gain a majority.

Turnout was around 51.5 percent compared with 51.7 percent four years ago.

The election was called in March after center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before his term was due to end. His departure followed a Supreme Court order for a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Cerar’s Party of The Modern Centre was in fourth place with just 10 seats.

EARLY ELECTION POSSIBILITY

Jansa said the migration crisis is one of the biggest challenges that the EU faces, adding that it should work to improve conditions in countries where migrants come from.

Analysts say predicting what the future government might look like is hard and some believe another election could not be ruled out.

“There will be trouble in forming a government but still a government led by Jansa with at least one center-left party in it is the most likely outcome,” said Peter Jancic, the editor of a political website Spletni Casopis.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, whose center-left party Desus got five seats, said his party was determined not to join a government led by Jansa, and added: “It is possible that we will have (another) early election.”

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided a bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to economic growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects GDP to expand by 5.1 percent this year.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatization of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The new cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system.

The new parliament will have to confirm the next central bank governor, who will also sit on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, after the previous governor Bostjan Jazbec resigned in April to take a position on the EU’s Single Resolution Board.

Reporting By Marja Novak, additional reporting by Boris Kavic and Branko Filipovic; editing by John Stonestreet, Jane Merriman and David Stamp

The post Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections appeared first on World The News.

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BEIRUT | The Latest: UN chief says Mideast 'peril' threatens security

New Post has been published on https://goo.gl/FACx4G

BEIRUT | The Latest: UN chief says Mideast 'peril' threatens security

BEIRUT | April 13, 2018 (AP)(STL.News)  — The Latest on Syria developments (all times local): 5:40 p.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the Middle East is in such “peril” today that it has become a threat to international peace and security — and Syria “represents the most serious threat.”

The U.N. chief told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Friday called by Russia that the highly volatile situation risks “escalation, fragmentation and division as far as the eye can see with profound regional and global ramifications.”

Guterres said “the Cold War is back — with a vengeance but with a difference,” because safeguards that managed the risk of escalation in the past “no longer seem to be present.”

He cited the Palestinian-Israeli divide, the Sunni-Shiite divide “evident from the Gulf to the Mediterranean,” and other divisive factors reflected in a multiplicity of conflicts.

But Guterres said Syria today is the most serious, and “there is no military solution to the conflict.” ___ 4:30 p.m.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to coordinate their actions to avoid further military escalation in Syria.

A suspected poison gas attack in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, which killed more than 40 people, has drawn international outrage and prompted the United States and its allies to consider a military strike on Syria. France is reported to be one of the strongest backers of a possible strike which Russia strongly opposes.

The Kremlin said on Friday in its readout of the phone call between the two presidents that Putin and Macron agreed to ask their foreign policy chiefs to “keep in close contact” to “de-escalate” the situation in Syria.

Putin was quoted as urging for a “thorough and objective probe” into the reports of the chemical weapons attack. The Kremlin said both Putin and Macron lauded the upcoming visit of the international chemical watchdog’s fact-finding mission to Syria and pledged to join efforts to provide necessary assistance to that mission. ___ 4:05 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep concerns” over the deterioration of the situation in Syria in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to a statement of the French presidency, Macron calls for dialogue between France and Russia to “continue and intensify” to bring peace and stability to Syria.

He “regretted” the Russian veto at the U.N. Security Council which prevented a “united and firm response” after a suspected gas attack last week in Douma, Syria.

Macron said Thursday on French national television France has proof that the Syrian government launched chlorine gas attacks and has crossed a line that could prompt French airstrikes.

The U.S., France and Britain have been consulting about launching a military strike in Syria. ___ 3:30 p.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has urged calm and efforts to restitute peace in Syria during separate calls this week with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan also told reporters on Friday that tensions between the two countries over a suspected chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma now seem to have eased.

Erdogan says: “What we insisted on tenaciously was the fact that is not right for tensions to heat up; we made requests concerning the restitution of peace and the end of the tragedy that is going on.”

The Turkish leader also said he sent video recordings concerning the “painful and disastrous scenes” in eastern Ghouta and Douma to Putin through an envoy of the Russian leader. Erdogan did not elaborate.

___ 3:20 p.m.

France’s foreign minister has cancelled trips to Albania and Slovenia because of rising global tensions around Syria. The move Friday came as the U.S., France and Britain are in extensive consultations about launching a military strike on Syria in retaliation for suspected chemical weapons attacks.

Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said in a statement to the official STA news agency that “due to the Syria crisis,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian cancelled his planned visit to Slovenia on Friday and Saturday. Albania’s Foreign Ministry said Le Drian canceled a trip there planned Friday “due to international developments in the security field.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he has proof that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was behind chlorine attacks in recent days. Syria’s government denies responsibility. ___

2:35 p.m.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says the use of chemical weapon against civilians in a Damascus suburb is “unforgivable” but says Turkey is urging all sides to refrain from actions that will cause further turmoil in Syria.

Yildirim on Friday again condemned the “heinous” the attack in Douma and said the perpetrators should “pay a price.”

“However … any action that would lead to the failure or harm activities led by Turkey, Iran and Russia toward a lasting peace should be avoided,” Yildirim said. He was referring to the three countries’ efforts to reduce violence in Syria.

Syrian opposition activists and medics say a suspected gas attack last week killed more than 40 people in Douma. The Syrian government has denied the allegations. ___ 1:35 p.m.

Russia’s foreign minister has asserted that a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma last weekend was fabricated with the help of an unspecified foreign intelligence agency.

Sergey Lavrov says Russian experts have inspected the site of the alleged attack in Douma, just east of Damascus, and found no trace of chemical weapons. He says Moscow has “irrefutable information that it was another fabrication.”

Lavrov spoke to reporters in Moscow on Friday.

He said that “intelligence agencies of a state that is now striving to spearhead a Russo-phobic campaign were involved in that fabrication.” He didn’t elaborate or name the state.

The attack has drawn international outrage and prompted the United States and its allies to consider a military strike on Syria, something Moscow has strongly warned against.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (R.A)

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Erjavec ne vidi ništa sporno u odgodi tužbe protiv Hrvatske

Erjavec ne vidi ništa sporno u odgodi tužbe protiv Hrvatske

Karl Erjavec, ministar vanjskih poslova u tehničkoj vladi Mire Cerara, koja do izbora nove vlade obavlja tekuće poslove, rekao je u četvrtak kako ne vidi ništa sporno ili dramatično u Cerarovoj odluci da odgodi tužbu protiv Hrvatske zbog neimplementacije arbitražne presude.

– Nije se dogodilo ništa dramatično i podržavam odluku premijera – izjavio je za medije Erjavec.

Ranije je upravo Erjavec…

[xhemilbeharaj]

Ministri i Jashtëm i Sllovenisë viziton Kosovën Kosovë - Ministri i Jashtëm slloven, Karl Erjavec, sot qëndron për vizitë zyrtare në Kosovë. Gjatë vizitës në Prishtinë, Erjavec do të pritet nga kryeministri Ramush Haradinaj si dhe nga homologu i tij, Behgjet Pacolli.