PM Urges Parties to Take Stance on Early Election
To avoid a political crisis following the return of Zoran Janković to the helm of PS at the party congress on Friday, the prime minister wants the parties to waiver their right to propose a prime minister-designate, thus allowing the election to be called before the summer.
Under Slovenian law, three attempts to appoint a prime minister-designate in parliament are allowed before the president of Slovenia would call an election. This would significantly delay calling the election.
"If we want to shorten the timeline for elections, we need a new pledge not to seek new prime minister-designates" so as to shorten the schedule of election-related activities stipulated for the calling of elections in the Constitution.
"With your support, an early election can be held before the summer," Bratušek said in the latter.
Since the PS congress, most parliamentary parties have been advocating a snap election to be held as soon as possible, with some saying they would refrain from putting forward a PM designate.
The coalition Social Democrats (SD) and Citizens's List (DL) as well as the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) said today that they would not be proposing nor providing support to any potential PM-designate, as they believe a snap vote should be called as soon as possible.
The coalition Citizens' List (DL) would like to see an election to be held as early as June if possible in a bid to end the political crisis as soon as possible, DL leader Gregor Virant said in a letter to Bratušek. He believes "Slovenia needs a government with full powers...".
Meanwhile, Bratušek's call has surprised the opposition People's party (SLS), which sees it as a means of shifting responsibility for the political crisis onto the other parties.
The party therefore urged the prime minister to "deliver on her promise to resign", which would in fact speed up the process leading to an early vote. The party believes that as long as Bratušek does not resigned, calling on the other parties to act responsibly is ridiculous.
The biggest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS), on the other hand wants an early election, but believes that the other parties want to see the vote before summer so as not to give time to SDS leader Janez Janša, who was sentenced to two years in prison in the Patria corruption trial, to have the ruling overturned.
SDS deputy group leader Jože Tanko said today that the party would not propose a PM designate nor would it join in on the speculations about the possible date of early elections. The party will however file an impeachment motion against Bratušek unless she resigns by Monday.