The Slovenia Times

Path cleared for triple referendum laws to take effect

Politics

The National Assembly took note of the results of the 27 November triple referendum on 23 December, clearing the path for the legislative changes dealing with the governance of the public broadcaster, the composition of the government cabinet, and long-term care to take effect. However, at least one of the laws will now be challenged at the country's top court.

All three laws were endorsed with double-digit margins in the , initiated by the opposition Democrats (SDS), most convincingly the law that aims to depoliticise RTV Slovenija by putting the civil society in charge of appointments to a new governing body. Almost 63% of those who turned out voted in favour.

The long-term care act postpones the implementation of the long-term care law adopted by the previous government for a year, to 1 January 2024, to tackle several shortcomings. It was important for the new law to take effect before the end of this year, because otherwise the previous government's law would come into force automatically on 1 January 2023.

Meanwhile, the new government act provides the basis to expand and restructure government departments and will lead to the first cabinet reshuffle in this term.

The SDS boycotted the session at which the three laws were promulgated, arguing the Supreme Court's decision on an appeal against the referendum report was not yet final, therefore the results could not yet be declared.

After the National Electoral Commission adopted the referendum report and thus in effect certified the results, the document was challenged by a group called the . However, the court threw out their appeal for being filed after the legal deadline.

The parliamentary legal service held that serving the ruling to the petitioner is not a precondition for the finality of the court's decision. Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič echoed this, saying court decisions against which no recourse is possible become final when the decision is made.

However, the RTV Slovenija law will be challenged at the Constitutional Court. Peter Gregorčič, the head of the broadcaster's programming council, whose term would end under the new law, has announced a press conference for next week where jurist Matej Avbelj will present the reasons for the challenge.

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