Ljubljana - A number of high-profile politicians, most of them from the ruling Democratic Party (SDS), have received threatening letters, including Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj, media have reported. Some of them have already reported the incident to the police.

The politicians received a letter in the post reading "We know where you live" and featuring a drawing of a gallows and a bullet. All the letters bear the postmark of Vransko, a village north-east of Ljubljana.

According to the data obtained by the N1 portal so far, such letters were sent to the home addresses of Šircelj, Vinko Gorenak, state secretary in the prime minister's office, and SDS MPs Mojca Škrinjar, Karmen Furman, Tomaž Lisec, Jože Tanko, Janez Moškrič, as well as Aleksander Reberšek, an MP of the coalition New Slovenia, Gregor Perič, an MP of the coalition Concretely party, formerly known as the SMC party, and Zmago Jelinčič, the leader of the opposition National Party (SNS), which often supports the coalition.

Moreover, the e-maribor portal reported that such threatening letters had also been sent to another two SDS MPs, Leon Merjasec and Marijan Pojbič.

Gorenak confirmed for N1 he had received the letter, adding that he had also reported this to the police and urging everybody else to do the same. Perič said he had already done this, noting that such incidents might also be the result of tensions sparked by the opposition.

Meanwhile, parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič has condemned any threats against anyone. He is certain that the law enforcement authorities would do everything to find the perpetrators.

"The atmosphere is overheated, the level of political communication is lower than ever, so it is not surprising that such actions are taking place. When we raise the level of political culture, when citizens are addressed respectfully, when politics is an example to be followed, then there will be fewer inappropriate letters," Zorčič told N1.

The threatening letters come after similar incidents occurred in the autumn last year when some senior politicians, including Prime Minister Janez Janša, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and Defence Minister Matej Tonin, received threat mail.