Slovenians rejected in a referendum a package of reforms considered authoritarian by the opposition

Slovenian voters rejected on Sunday, in a referendum, a law backed by the government of nationalist Prime Minister Janez Jansa, in a symbolic defeat for the executive. After 99% of the votes had been counted, 51% of participants voted against expanding the powers of parliamentary investigative committees, while 49% voted in favor.

The law would have required summoned individuals to testify immediately, without the possibility of challenging the summons in court before the investigation was concluded. The opposition denounced the establishment of a “political police” and warned that the measure would have enabled pressure to be exerted on witnesses to disclose sensitive information.

Janez Jansa, who returned to power after liberal Robert Golob failed to form a government, has pledged to reduce the public apparatus and limit funding for NGOs involved in defending civil rights. Golob described the referendum as a test of the resilience of Slovenian democracy.

On the same day, the public approved three other non-binding referendums. They concern the abolition of the public broadcasting fee, restricting the voting rights of foreign residents in local elections, and making benefits for the long-term unemployed conditional on carrying out volunteer activities. Slovenia will return to the polls in November for local elections and a new referendum called by trade unions.