Celje - The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) held a conference in Celje on Saturday to confirm its election platform and present candidates for the 24 April general election. The party said it continued to promote an economically powerful and business-oriented Slovenia under the slogan Resolutely Forward.

The NSi said after the conference that it remained "on the side of Slovenia as a country of the future", which would be green, which meant that electricity supply would have to be stable and provided at affordable prices.

Instead of a system that is centrally planned, the party would like to see a system of public health accessible to all built in accordance with European guidelines.

The NSi is looking to preserve its core values. "We are on the side of families, young people and we want to return more joy to life in Slovenia," the party said, adding that it did not only write a programme, but also implemented it.

Among the key measures in the election platform, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said that focus in the field of energy would be renewable energy sources and constructing a second unit of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK).

"Solar power plants on every Slovenian roof, between lanes on motorways, on abandoned quarries," Vrtovec announced, while also mentioning construction of small hydro power plants on rivers and of wind farms.

Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj noted shortened working hours as a structural measure, decent wages and pensions and assistance to victims of domestic violence.

Minister of Digital Transformation Mark Boris Andrijanič called for internet connection for all, and other participants of the conference also called for making operation of courts fully electronic and for construction of civil protection centres.

The NSi also advocates tax reliefs for the purchase of firefighting equipment, a guarantee scheme for housing loans, construction of a state-of-the-art passenger terminal in Ljubljana, and construction of new bicycle paths.

It would also like to reform the system of financing of media and non-governmental organisations under which personal income tax payers would decide on their own where to earmark 3% of their personal income tax.

"Slovenia and Europe will be Christian or they will be no more," said NSi deputy group head Jožef Horvat, noting that he was not talking about religion, but about political principles.

NSi president and Defence Minister Matej Tonin said that the party would be a surprise of the election. "We must do everything to make the NSi part of the government coalition also in the future," he said at the conference.

All government ministers from the NSi will run in the upcoming election, including Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, as well as all current MPs representing the party, except for Mihael Prevc.