Episode 129: Bonus Episode: Slovenia

Previously in Europe

Episode: Episode 129: Bonus Episode: Slovenia
Website: Previously in Europe
Feed URL: http://simplecast.com/podcasts/2120/rss
Duration: 00:50:21
Published: 2019-05-06 20:18

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Show Notes:

Slovenia

What is Slovenia? (CIA Factbook + How Voting/Gov/Parties work) 2. Big News in Little Slovenia 3. Why we don't talk about Slovenia?

The Google search result card text:

Slovenia, a country in Central Europe, is known for its mountains, ski resorts and lakes. On Lake Bled, a glacial lake fed by hot springs, the town of Bled contains a church-topped islet and a cliffside medieval castle. In Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, baroque facades mix with the 20th-century architecture of native Jože Plečnik, whose iconic Tromostovje (Triple Bridge) spans the tightly curving Ljubljanica River.

The CIA has a more historical summary:

The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia was one of the republics in the restored Yugoslavia, which, though communist, soon distanced itself from the Soviet Union and spearheaded the Non-Aligned Movement. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a growing economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's postcommunist transition. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the euro zone and the Schengen zone in 2007.

Editorial version

Small country with 2m people on the border of Italy... They disagree with Croatia as to where that border is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia%E2%80%93Slovenia_border_disputes)

Government?

Slovenia has one! It's one of those fun "incomplete bicameral systems".

http://www.slovenia.si/slovenia/state/parliament-the-national-assembly/

National Assembly

Lower house
Actual power
90 members
1 for Hungarian and Italian minorities each

National Council

No real power (There is a very confusing description from their own website circa 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060422134553/http://www.ds-rs.si/en/index.htm)
Doesn't pass legislation, more one of those "we'll just correct that for you" bits of government. They have a delay type veto
"22 representatives of local interests, six representatives of non-commercial activities four representatives of employers and four of employees and four representatives of farmers, crafts and trades and independent professionals. "... so eh, yeah non-elected, but NOT like the house of lords kind of non-elected. They also have 5 year terms

President

Mostly ceremonial, commander in chief, yadda yadda yadda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NationalCouncil(Slovenia)

Yes yes, but currently?

Well... the 2018 election was fun.

It mostly started because of the 2017 Railway Referendum where some people didn't like a new railway like (but also there were calls of corruption and what not). The referendum passed to keep the railway project, but the supreme court deemed it unconstitutional because of government money being used to campaign for it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017Slovenianrailwayreferendum#citenote-14)... So the PM resigned... the election went ahead in June but the government wasn't formed until September with a mega-coalition of 5(6?) parties (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13thGovernmentofSlovenia)

The center right won the election but nobody would work with them (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlovenianDemocratic_Party)

Reuters ran the unhelpful headline "Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections" (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovenia-election/anti-immigration-party-wins-slovenia-elections-idUSKCN1IY0V1)

Big News in Little Slovenia?

Well there was almost a big government deal with the Budget this year where the Left party supporting the minority government didn't like pension reforms but it ended up passing and overriding the upper house veto (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovenia-budget/slovenian-parliament-confirms-2019-budget-with-opposition-help-idUSKCN1R125S)
It seems like the government is pretty popular polling well ahead of their election results (https://pollofpolls.eu/SI)

##Big News in Little Slovenia Also

Retirement age has raised which people are upset by BUT pensions have gone up. 10% increase for men, 5% for women while the retirement age will increase by 9 years for men and 14 years for women.
A court in Slovenia has sentenced a right-wing politician to eight months in prison for organizing a self-style militia that was filmed posing with weapons like axes and rifles.

https://www.rtvslo.si/slovenija/vsaka-pokojninska-reforma-zaostruje-pogoje-za-upokojevanje/482639
https://apnews.com/8110ca9c647140b8bc55a48c44781273