SLOVENIJA
— Officially: Republika Slovenija.
— English: Slovenia.
— Seat of government: Ljubljana.
— Status: Democratic.
— Structure: The parliament (Državni Zbor) is elected through proportional representation on a party-list vote, with one guaranteed seat each for the Italiano and Magyar communities, and chooses the prime minister. Some legislative role is reserved for those minority representatives and for the Državni Svet, chosen by local and functional consistuencies.
— Governing parties: Slovenska Demokratska Stranka; Stranka Modernega Centra; Nova Slovenija – Krščanski Demokrati.
— Heads of government: Janez Janša, SDS, prime minister (2004-8, 2012-3, and since 2020); Borut Pahor, SD, president (since 2012).
— Other parliamentary parties: Lista Marjan Šarec; Socialni Demokrati; Levica; Stranka Alenke Bratušek; Demokratična Stranka Upokojencev Slovenije; Slovenska Nacionalna Stranka.
— Assessment: The most prosperous and, not coincidentally, the most stable of the departed elements of Jugoslavija. Janez Drnovšek of Liberalna Demokracija Slovenije was prime minister (1992-2000, 2000-2) when elected president (2002-7), and took an active role, while the government was controlled by SDS under Janša. In 2007, Danilo Türk (2007-12) of the opposition replaced Drnovšek. In general elections in 2008, the SD won a slim plurality over SDS; SD, Zares – Nova Politika, DeSUS, and LDS formed a government under Pahor (2008-12). In the 2011 elections, Pozitivna Slovenija finished first, but SDS, Državljanska Lista, DeSUS, Slovenska Ljudska Stranka, and NS formed a coalition under Janša. He was accused of corruption in 2013 (later convicted and imprisoned), leading to a new coalition of PS, SD, DL, and DeSUS, under Alenka Bratušek (2013-4) of PS, essentially a placeholder for party founder Zoran Janković. Janković challenged her for party leadership in 2014 and won, causing a collapse of the coalition and new elections. In the 2014 elections, a party created to support Miro Cerar (SMC, first known as Stranka Mira Cerarja) finished with a sizable plurality, and Cerar became prime minister (2014-8), while PS lost all of its representation. Pahor succeeded Türk as president in 2012. The 2018 general election ended with a plurality for SDS, but a refusal to serve with Janša led to a coalition under Marjan Šarec (2018-20) and his LMŠ, with SD, SMC, SAB, and DeSUS. The government was brought down by disagreements within LMŠ. Janša was then able to form a minority coalition.
— FH: 1-1, free. Econ: 7.96 (30), full democracy.
— Updated: 2021 June 24.
O.T. FORD