Minority representatives confirmed in Slovenia’s new parliament

Felice Žiža has been elected for a third term as the representative of the Italian minority in the Slovenian parliament. According to the Italian-language daily La Voce del Popolo, published in Fiume/Rijeka, the Pola/Pula-born doctor won 42% of the vote, defeating three opponents. Turnout among the Italian minority electorate reached 66.5% of the 2,865 registered voters.

Slovenia formally recognises two national minorities – the Italian and the Hungarian – each of which is guaranteed one seat in the national parliament under the constitution. Members of these communities cast two ballots in parliamentary elections: one in the general national vote, and another to elect their minority representative.

The Hungarian minority will continue to be represented by Ferenc Horváth, who secured 72.7% of the vote, comfortably defeating his challenger Tomi Horvat, according to Primorski dnevnik.

By contrast, the German-speaking community in Slovenia remains without official recognition as a national minority. Prospects for a change in this status appear limited.

The broader political situation in Slovenia remains uncertain. Neither the liberal Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda) led by the incumbent prime minister Robert Golob, which received 28.6% of the vote, nor the conservative Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka) of his predecessor Janez Janša, which secured 28%, has achieved a parliamentary majority. Coalition negotiations are therefore expected to be complex.

Beyond parliamentary representation, developments are also under way within minority institutions. The Unione Italiana – the umbrella organisation representing the Italian minority in both Slovenia and Croatia – is set to elect its governing bodies on 31 May. Its president since 2018, Maurizio Tremul, is a writer and literary scholar from Capodistria/Koper who has long been active in minority institutions across the region.