Annual Review of Slovenian Domestic Affairs

Ljubljana, 9 December - The year of local elections served up many surprises, from campaigns that were dirty on an unprecedented scale to the unexpected victories of independent candidates. The elections were in a way a focal point. Just days before the run-off Slovenians were faced with a test of their tolerance for minorities. The relocation and unsuccessful search for a new home for the Strojans, accompanied by a "popular uprising" against the Roma family, earned Slovenia the attention of the international public and high-profile stories in many of the world's top media. Just weeks after the polling was over, the prime minister requested the dismissal of Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Minister Janez Drobnic over an excess of blunders in communication with the rest of the cabinet, the trade unions, media and NGOs. What made the dismissal even more interesting was Drobnic's refusal to step down voluntarily, which led some pundits to start talking about a government crisis, which however did not materialise. There were plenty of other goings-on: the inauguration of Cardinal Franc Rode and establishment of new dioceses, a successful end of the story of the order of operating tables, and a prolonged dispute between the prime minister and a resurging president. Many will remember the year for the trampling to death of three girls in front of a disco near Ljubljana and the bizarre trial of murderer Silvo Plut. Yet it is atrocities from the past that are still the most haunting: 61 years after the end of the Second World War, new evidence continues to appear en masse about the reprisal of the winners against the losers, but nobody responsible for the killings has been brought to justice to date.