Highlights – october 2008
The topic of the month: The end of the Parliamentary elections 2008
The Slovene voters voted on polls on Sunday, the 21st of September, and they chose the 6th summons of the Parliament assembly. After counting all the voting papers on the fifth Parliamentary elections in the history of Slovenia (the State electoral commission will announce the official results on the 3rd October) the winners are Social Democrats (SD) of Borut Pahor. 30,45 % of voters voted for their party. With this result they have 29 seats in the Parliament. One after another is closely the SDS party of momentary President Janez Janša with 29,26% of votes and with this result they have 28 seats in the Parliament. On this year`s election 17 parties had their candidates for the seats in the Parliament and between them were 9 Parliamentary and 8 non Parliamentary parties. Amongst SDS and SD we will have in the Parliament the »ZARES« party of Gregor Golobič with 9,37% of votes and 9 seats in the Parliament, »DESUS« party of Karel Erjavec with 7,46% votes and 7 seats, SNS of Zmago Jelinčič with 5,4% votes and 5 seats, joint list of candidates of SLS (Bojan Šrot) and SMS (Darko Kranjc) with 5,21% votes (5 seats) and LDS (Katarina Kresal) with 5,21% votes and 5 seats.
Th last allowed public announcement of public polls in mass media, 8 days before the election, predicted a different undoing and so the results of the election came for many as a surprise. The relative victory was predicted to SDS with more and less persuasive majority and the arrear to SD, ZARES and LDS (the so called left triplet).
Borut Pahot said, that the party had exceptionally succeeded in the elections. He also said, that he was conscious of the responsibility, that had come with the success. He also stressed, that he wished to have the coalition of program allied parties, in which with SD would be surely ZARES and LDS. With these parties SD achieved »The gentleman treaty» about the formation of the coalition before the election in case of the election victory. DESUS and SLS+SMS are eventual partners for the coalition.
The president of SDS Janez Janša said at once after public announcement of final non official this year´s election results, that after his words SDS would obviously be in the opposition, but it would be the constructive opposition, supporting everything, which was good for Slovenia. Janša also said: » I wish for those, who will combine the government, that they do that as soon as possible and they combine it as superior as they can«.
An interview : Dr. Janez A. Arnež, Studia Slovenica
Dr. Janez Arnež, retired professor of economy, once student of five univesities, for more than half a century has been collecting materials, created by Slovenes out of Slovene borders. These materials vanish fast because of the assimilation. For this purpose in 1957 in the USA he established the Studia Slovenica Institute. It had from the very beginning two main aims: collecting literary and archival materials, originated amongst Slovenes abroad in the refugee camps and numerous Slovene emigrant communities in Europe, both Americas and Australia and publishing books about Slovenes and Slovenia in English language and so presenting to the foreign country rather unknown Slovene nation. Also in Slovenia since 1991 Mr. Arnež has registered The Studia Slovenica Institute, now dwelt in the Saint Stanislav educational Establisment in Ljubljana. Mr. Arnež, now 85 years old, is still hale and sure, that the best receipt for the long and full life is mostly the work and the modesty.
The successful fellow countrymen: Peter Mandelj
Peter Mandelj, president of the Council of Slovene Organizations of Victoria, president of the Council of Slovene Organizations of Australia and member of the Council of the Government of the Slovene Republic for the Slovenes abroad, has been actively working for 35 years in the Slovene Community in Australia. All the years round he did so much good for the Slovene matter in far distant Australia, that today he receives numerous compliments for this work also from the sides of Australian state authority. This year he was awarded the greatest and the most significant golden Medal – Order of Australia, by professor David de Kretser, the governor of the Victoria State, in the name of the Queen of England, Elisabeth II. He was awarded this Medal »for the work in the Slovene Community, specially for the work in the Slovene Organizations of Australia».