A month prior to taking over the European Union Council Presidency, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the conservative government in Ljubljana, Slovenia and called for Prime Minister Jansa to resign.

At least 20,000 demonstrators in Slovenia have called for the resignation of the government and early elections. Trade unions and opposition parties took part in the rally in the capital Ljubljana. Protesters shouted, “elections now”. A protest banner read, “death to fascism, freedom for all”. Many demonstrators had come on bicycles, which are a symbol of the anti-government movement.

Critics accuse the right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa of increasingly authoritarian rule. Among other things, he has been criticized for his dealings with the media. Since taking office in March 2020, he has repeatedly railed against the media and journalists, especially on Twitter. His opponents also accuse Jansa of using the corona pandemic to undermine the independence of the judiciary.

Jansa had just barely survived a vote of no confidence in parliament on Wednesday. Four opposition parties submitted the request. They accused the 62-year-old of failing to fight the corona pandemic, for example, in procuring vaccines. Jansa calls the allegations a conspiracy from the left camp.

The head of government is considered a great admirer of former US President Donald Trump. Last November, even though the votes in the US presidential election had not yet been counted, he prematurely congratulated the Republican on his supposed election victory. In the end, however, Joe Biden won.

Slovenia takes over the rotating EU Council Presidency in July.

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