Slovenian voters reject Janša's power-expansion bill in referendum, dealing blow to nationalist PM's authoritarian agenda

Slovenian voters on Sunday rejected by a narrow margin of 51% to 49% a bill pushed by Prime Minister Janša's government to expand parliamentary investigative powers in a binding national referendum. According to AFP and France 24, with approximately 99% of ballots counted, the opposition vote stood at 51% and the support vote at 49%, with about 1% of ballots yet to be counted and the final figures subject to slight changes.

Had the bill passed, witnesses summoned by parliament to testify would have been compelled to appear immediately and would have had no right to challenge the summons in court before the investigative committee completed its work. Opposition critics warned the mechanism could force witnesses to disclose sensitive information, turning parliamentary investigations into a tool of the government's "political police."

Turnout reached 53.7%, far exceeding earlier expectations from media and analysts and setting a historic record for Slovenian referendums. The turnout itself was a political signal — in an EU member state of only about two million people, voters chose to leave their homes and deliver a direct verdict on the boundaries of government power expansion.

Opposition leader and liberal former prime minister Robert Golob warned on the eve of the vote that Slovenia was facing "a real test of democratic resilience." His concerns were not unfounded: Janša is a seasoned political veteran. In March's parliamentary elections, the liberal bloc narrowly won but failed to form a government, opening the way for Janša to take power.

According to France 24, the nationalist leader is an admirer of U.S. President Trump and has pledged to build "a cheaper but higher-quality country." His governing blueprint includes cutting public sector jobs and reducing funding to rights organizations, measures that have drawn criticism from his political opponents.

The referendum's narrow margin and record participation gave the rejection a political weight beyond its bare numerical difference. How the Janša government responds next — whether by adjusting its legislative path to seek compromise or by choosing to press forward — will be a key indicator for observing this nationalist prime minister's governing trajectory.