After the resignation of Marjan Šarec’s government, as many as 63 percent of those who participated in the Mediana poll believed that early elections were necessary, but now, according to a public opinion poll published by the newspaper Delo, only 41 percent still think that early elections should happen. In addition, most of the respondents were not able to name a candidate among the opposition parties, who they believe would be able to lead a transitional government if Janša’s government fell as a result of a constructive vote of no confidence. The majority of Slovenian citizens therefore expect political stability, not the fall of the current government at any cost. And all the media propaganda is still not enough for the majority of voters to recognize Tanja Fajon as a compatible candidate for the new leader of the left bloc, which is far from unified – rather, it is strongly fragmented. The opposition is constantly focusing on overthrowing the fairy-tale “prince of darkness,” but cannot offer a concrete alternative.
According to a poll conducted by Mediana, only 41 percent of the respondents want early elections, 39 percent oppose early elections, 5 percent would like a new government to be formed within the existing parliamentary composition, and 15 percent did not state what exactly it is they want. The current government can only fall on the basis of a constructive vote of no confidence, which would mean that the National Assembly would elect another person as the Prime Minister-designate, with an absolute majority of 46 votes. The transitional Prime Minister would have the power to lead the country until the next elections or play the role of a “straw prime minister” who would decide for early elections, Domovina reports.
However, the majority of the respondents do not believe that a vote of no confidence is likely to happen. More than half of them are convinced that this is not going to happen, or almost certainly not going to happen, while only 38 percent of the respondents believe that it will happen. But had the vote happened, only 14.6 percent of the respondents believe that a Prime Minister for the possible interim government could be one of the members of the existing opposition parties. However, as many as 43.6 percent of the respondents believe that the existing parties cannot offer a suitable candidate to lead an interim government and that a “new face” would be needed for that. In addition, 27.3 percent of respondents are convinced that there is no need for a transitional government.
In view of all the above, we can safely conclude that the message of the majority is that the government should be left alone once and for all and that it can continue with its work. Only the most stubborn Stalinist voters oppose this, as the overthrowing of Janša’s government at any cost would only bring political instability. At the same time, we can conclude that those who did not want to take part in the survey have an even smaller desire to go to the polls again. The poll also confirms that there is high support for the current government, which has been facing the fierce attacks of the mainstream media since the beginning of its term. Fortunately, propaganda is not sticking as much as those who are diligently trying to overthrow the government would like it to.
Despite the support of the mainstream media, Fajon has not yet acquired the status of the leader of the Slovenian nation
Slovenians are satisfied with the government’s measures, which were implemented during and after the difficult pandemic, as the coalition has shown a lot of understanding and generosity, but at the same time, it has also shown a lot of professionalism in navigating between certain health measures and the partial limiting of social life. The possibility of redeeming the tourist vouchers also created a positive image of Janša’s government. Even the inflated promotion of Tanja Fajon is not being received by the Slovenian public as well as some would like.
Even though she promised that her policies would be “different,” she began her leadership with a rather hard, Stalinist hand, which certainly deters the moderate voters from the party. Many are also repulsed by her extremely open view of migration, (trans)sexual identity, support for Albanian immigration into the EU, the marked inhibition of Serbia by the international community, etc. Thus, the strategists who are trying to build a political fight against Janša, have more than enough work to do. Above all, they should try to improve Fajon’s public image or come to the conclusion that she may not be the “best material” for the position of Prime Minister, or she is just a kind of “casual option.” However, the political autumn will certainly be exciting and hot.
The protesters are increasingly divided and aimless, their only purpose being to fight the mythical “prince of darkness”
The 15th Friday’s protest was held last week, which also shows that the matter is long over, and the opposition no longer knows what to do with itself. The protesters are also divided. We have already written about the split between the unofficial co-organizers of the “rallies of truth,” Jaša Jenull and Tjaša Prošek, but now some other “attackers” are also creating a divide. This time, the rally once again took place in two different locations. Rapper Zlatko Čordić and Ivan Gale organized their protest on Republic Square, and Jenull, who is supported by the Social Democrats, organized his protest rally, where he was once again not present, on Prešeren’s Square.
However, those who did come to Prešeren’s Square created a revolutionary atmosphere by singing partisan songs, and this time, the event was almost exclusively about Janez Janša. It was attended by some well-known left-wing personalities, such as Svetlana Makarovič and Violeta Tomić. The protesters also walked to Roška street, where they returned to the year of 1988, with a caricature of “Janša” and inscriptions against “the Four.” In short, the opposition’s only programme is the tearing down of the hated Janša, but it is not clear what the opposition has to offer in return. They are obviously not interested in Slovenia and the well-being of the people. Let them show something more concrete, something for the good of this country, rather than constantly repeating these old, worn-out, anty-Janšaistic slogans over and over again.
Domen Mezeg