RESS REVIEW FROM SLOVENIA, JUNE 6, 1992

Ljubljana, 6 June - THE DELO: BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND KERSNIKOVA 4 - In his analysis of the Slovene political scene, Miran Lesjak discusses the position of the Left Wing. In the author's opinion, the Left Wing did not make sufficient use of the the last two years and neglected to make a thorough analysis of the political situation in Slovenia, nor did it elaborate a comprehensive enough political programme. Above all, states the author, the Left Wing had no need to declare itself and to put forward positive developmental solutions, as all it had to do was to turn down the concepts proposed by the ruling coalition. An analysis of the research carried out during the project entitled Public Opinion in Slovenia shows that the answers given given by the majority of all those encompassed by the opinion poll to questions revealing sympathy either for the Left Wing or the Right Wing indicated a distinct trend towards the Left. But although the majority of the political parties may be opting more for the Left Wing than the Right, this is not the case with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDS), which the leaders of the Left Wing are leaving out of all their forms of cooperation and the forming of links between their parties, states Miran Lesjak. Yet, states the author, it is precisely this withdrawal of the LDS from the left section of the parliamentary spectrum that will enable the formation of the Left Wing as a more or less discernible parliamentary bloc. The author continues with a supposition on the activities of the Left Wing from now till the year 2001. For the fragmented Left Wing, survival is not a question of producing attractive programmes, but of the nature of the voting system. In a majority voting system, the Left Wing can only stand to lose, while in a proportional voting system, it can survive and grow stronger - but only by forging ties between its parties. According to some opinions, the best option for the Left Wing would be for its parties to gather around two stronger cores: the Party of Democratic Reform (SDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDSS). It is obvious that Mr. Pučnik's party can not afford to "flirt" with the SDP, if it wishes to rehabilitate the Left Wing, the values and morals of which have been black-listed due to past actions. The SDP interprets the need for united action as the realization of the call to "Stop the Right Wing," while the Socialists and Social Democrats believe that joint action of the Left Wing parties is a long-term project. The most that can happen in the Left Wing before the next elections, is that the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party continue to draw closer to each other. Parallel with the development of the old Left Wing, Slovenia will also need the formation of a vital, but conservative Wing, concluded Mirjan Lesjak.