Collecting of signatures starts for SDS referendum package
Ljubljana - A 35-day period started on Thursday during which the opposition Democrats (SDS) hope to collect 40,000 signatures each for referendum initiatives rejecting changes to the legislation on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, the act reshaping the government cabinet and a deferral of the act on long-term care.
The former ruling party, which can expect the support of the fellow opposition New Slovenia (NSi) when it comes to the RTV Slovenija referendum and possibly also the long-term care act, announced it would engage actively in the collecting of the signatures as well as the potential referendum campaigns.
Coming amid a continuing impasse at RTV Slovenija, the majority of whose journalists have been protesting against alleged political meddling by leadership structures appointed under the previous government, the new act on the public broadcaster aims to reorganise its management and supervision.
None of the members would be appointed by the National Assembly in what the government says is a bid to do away with political influence on RTV Slovenija and boost the influence of employees and civil society.
The SDS however believes that the only aim is decapitating the RTV management and programme councillors and that the law would bring about the end of the independent and autonomous RTV.
The Culture Ministry believes that the SDS is trying to maintain the status quo established by the 2005 law on RTV Slovenija, under which politics directly appoints the supervisors and the majority of the members of the programme council. This is leading to RTV Slovenija losing its reputation, credibility, staff and viewers.
Meanwhile, the SDS has also taken issue with the new government changes postponing the entry into force of the long-term care act.
Amid warnings that the long-awaited long-term care act, passed by the SDS-led government, was not executable in its current form, the new government has argued it would be too soon for it take effect on 1 January 2023.
Postponing it would allow more time for preparations, and bring additional funds for employees' salaries to prevent higher bills for elderly home residents in the autumn.
A third referendum initiative targets legislative changes allowing the new government to create three new ministries for a total of 20.
While SDS has said it was challenging the changes because such a government would be too large to be operational, the coalition argued the referendum motion's only goal had been to delaying the formation of the new government.
Although it is still open whether the necessary signatures will be collected, speculation has started with regard to a possible date of the referendum.
While the SDS is rooting for all three referenda to be held simultaneously with the autumn local or presidential election, Parliament Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič has indicated it would make sense to hold all three together but not on the same day as any of the elections.