Slovenia Voters Reject Jansa Inquiry-Powers Bill in First Major Test of Nationalist Government

Slovenians have narrowly rejected a government bill that would have expanded the powers of parliamentary inquiry commissions, dealing a blow to nationalist Prime Minister Janez Jansa's reform agenda in a binding referendum on Sunday. With 99 percent of votes counted, 51 percent of voters opposed the proposal and 49 percent backed it, according to France 24, which reported the result on Sunday evening.

The vote was the first real electoral test for Jansa's right-wing government, four months after it took office — and the opposition has already framed the result as a popular rebuke of a programme it calls "authoritarian".

What the rejected law would have done

The measure, adopted by the National Assembly in May, would have given parliamentary inquiry commissions significantly sharper teeth. Under the changes, anyone summoned to testify before a commission would have been required to appear immediately and would not have been able to challenge the summons until the commission had completed its work.

The opposition argued that the provision could compel witnesses to disclose sensitive information and described the law as effectively setting up a "political police". Campaigners against the bill also pointed to the turnout rule: the legislation would fall only if at least one-fifth of all eligible voters voted against it — a threshold that was comfortably cleared on Sunday.

The referendum was the binding item on a four-question ballot. The other three questions were advisory: whether to abolish subscription fees for the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, whether to make social assistance conditional on community service, and whether to grant third-country nationals the right to vote in local elections.

Four months in, a verdict on Jansa

The result matters beyond the single law. Jansa, a political veteran and admirer of US President Donald Trump, came to power in June after liberal former prime minister Robert Golob failed to form a government despite his party's narrow victory in the March parliamentary elections. This is Jansa's fourth stint as prime minister.

Sunday's vote was billed in advance as the first test of his reform programme. Promising a "cheaper state but with better quality", the government has proposed cutting public-sector jobs and reducing funding for civil-rights NGOs — moves that have drawn sharp criticism from opponents and set up a confrontation with trade unions.

Jansa's last tenure, from 2020 to 2022, was marked by frequent run-ins with the European Union and a series of anti-government demonstrations. Critics accused him of attacking media freedom and the judiciary and undermining the rule of law — a history his opponents have invoked throughout the referendum campaign, including in their denunciation of the inquiry-commissions bill.

Sunday's defeat will embolden the unions and civic groups already mobilising against other parts of the agenda. Trade unions, backed by opposition parties, collected more than 47,000 signatures seeking a referendum on a separate omnibus law packaging tax cuts with changes to pensions, healthcare, labour relations and the welfare system. Parliament initially rejected that request, but the Constitutional Court annulled the rejection in August by a 7-1 majority, ruling that many provisions address broader policy questions that cannot be shielded from a popular vote simply by being bundled with tax measures.

A pattern across the continent

Slovenia's referendum day comes as democratic politics across Europe face their own pressures. In Britain, Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned this weekend about Russian interference in democratic votes — a warning aimed partly at voters in France, where Raphaël Glucksmann has just won the centre-left primary ahead of the coming presidential contest — and in Germany, where security cooperation with Britain has recently deepened, as reported here.

Whether the referendum result forces Jansa to recalibrate will become clear in the weeks ahead. The government could attempt a revised version of the inquiry-commissions law, but a second defeat on the same measure would be politically costly. For now, the message from Slovenian voters is unmistakable: the reform programme does not have the popular mandate the government hoped to manufacture — and the opposition's "authoritarian" charge has landed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Slovenian voters decide on Sunday?

They rejected, by 51% to 49% with 99% of votes counted, a law adopted in May that would have expanded the powers of parliamentary inquiry commissions. The referendum was binding: at least one-fifth of eligible voters had to vote against for the law to fall.

What would the law have changed?

It would have required anyone summoned by a parliamentary inquiry commission to testify immediately, without the ability to challenge the summons until the commission finished its work. The opposition said this could compel disclosure of sensitive information and likened the measure to creating a "political police".

Why is the result significant for Janez Jansa?

It is the first electoral test of his government since it took office in June — his fourth term as prime minister. The narrow but decisive rejection hands momentum to the opposition and trade unions already campaigning against his broader reform programme, which they describe as authoritarian.

Were there other votes on the ballot?

Yes. Three advisory referendums were held alongside the binding one: on abolishing RTV Slovenia subscription fees, on making social assistance conditional on community service, and on granting third-country nationals voting rights in local elections.