Slovenian Democratic Party

Origins The Slovenian Democratic Party developed from the merger of two distinct political parties, being the legal successor of both of the Social Democratic Union of Slovenia and the Slovenian Democratic Union, member parties of the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (DEMOS) which defeated the Communist Party of Slovenia-derived parties in the first democratic Slovenian election in 1990. Tomšič was replaced as leader by Jože Pučnik later that year while the SDU was renamed as Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (SDS). The Slovenian Democratic Union was founded in January 1989 Janša became party leader in 1993 after Jože Pučnik resigned due to health issues (Pučnik later became the honorary president of the party, a function he held until his death in January 2003). In 1995, the National Democratic Party joined SDS, which thus became one of the legal successors of the Slovenian Democratic Union. Janša has been accused of having abused his position to consolidate political power, engaging in arms trafficking to arm combatants in the Yugoslav Wars in violation of a United Nations arms embargo, and blackmailing prominent individuals, including politicians, businesspeople, journalists, and cultural and literary figures, by threatening to make public information (to which he was privy to in his ministerial role) regarding their previously undisclosed involvement with the former communist secret police. and there were founded fears inside the government that Janša, backed by the nascent military, may refuse to relinquish power. In 1995, Janša was charged for alleged illegal arms trafficking, but the case was never brought to trial. while gaining popularity among – as described by one of its former supporters, Peter Jambrek – "lower, frustrated social strata". A populist turn After the year 2000, the party applied for membership in the European People's Party (EPP). or conservative-liberal in ideological orientation. The party's radical populism, nationalistic, Moreover, the local Slovenian Catholic Church supported it more than any other Slovenian political party. Even though not a nominally Christian party, the local church has stood fully and unconditionally behind it. SDS then formed a coalition with New Slovenia (NSi), the Slovenian People's Party (SLS), and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS), holding a total of 49 parliamentary seats (out of 90). SDS has been accused of catering to the interests of the Slovenian Roman Catholic Church in exchange for political support. Internal affairs The government introduced measures to supervise, and to curtail the powers of the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency. The measures were strongly rebuked by the opposition and segments of the press as an attempt to discredit the secret intelligence service and cast a negative shadow on the policies of previous governments. Freedom of the press The first SDS government was the target of widespread criticism due to allegations of meddling in the independence of the press. The first SDS government has been accused of politicising the independent press by appointing political allies to leadership and journalist positioned in the state Slovenian Press Agency, regional newspaper Primorske novice, In a secret 2007 deal with the head of the Laško Brewery that owned the flagship national newspaper Delo as subsidiary, PM Janša secured editorial influence over the newspaper while Laško would be allowed to acquire a stake in a state-owned grocery store corporation. In 2007, over five hundred journalists launched a petition against political pressures on the media. The petition accused premier Janša of limiting press freedom in particular, but was also more broadly aimed against all infringements of press freedom by either government, political actors in general, or media company owners. The International Press Institute voiced support for the petition and called on the government to create an independent body to investigate the claims of media influence. The Association of European Journalists warned in 2007 of Slovene media companies' boards interfering in journalistic autonomy, reprimanding journalists and fostering other conditions that prevent critical reporting about the government and lead to self-censorship while journalists are also being prevented from covering issues that may go against the interests of the owners. SDS foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel had previously advised media owners to consider thoroughly whether a battle with the government is in their interest. SDS rejected accusations of impropriety, claiming the media was in fact controlled by leftist opposition groups. Economy and finance The first Cabinet of Janez Janša oversaw a period of rapid economic growth. GDP grew by nearly 5% between 2004 and 2006, reaching nearly 7% growth in 2007, The economic boom, however, was highly dependent on private debt, particularly corporate debt. According to Janša, the most prominent economic challenge confronted by his government was a bout of inflation (which occurred during the 2007-08 period and was steepest for foodstuff prices). At the close of 2007, the inflation rate in Slovenia was the highest of any Eurozone member. Janša, Finance Minister Bajuk and other government officials pointed to high oil prices and a non-competitive internal food market as the main underlying causes for the inflation. Economic Development Minister Andrej Vizjak similarly addressed cost of living concerns by saying that citizens "should not be loath to occasionally eat yesterday's bread", going on to say that the food price increases are an opportunity to address the overindulgence of Slovenian consumers. With the election of the Social Democrat leader Borut Pahor as Prime Minister of Slovenia, the Slovenian Democratic Party officially declared it would stay in opposition and form a shadow cabinet. The shadow government was formed in late December 2008, and it includes several independent members as well as members from other conservative parties. In the 2009 European election, the SDS was the most popular party in Slovenia with 26.9% of votes, more than eight points ahead of the second-most popular party, the ruling Social Democrats. In 2009, the MP Franc Pukšič left the Slovenian Democratic Party and joined the Slovenian People's Party; the SDS parliamentary group was thus reduced from 28 to 27 MPs. 2012–2013: a year in power (second Janša Cabinet) In the 2011 snap parliamentary election (held on 4 December after the centre-left governing coalition collapsed due to internal conflict and inefficacy in passing meaningful economic reforms), SDS won 26.19% of the vote, gaining 26 seats in the National Assembly, thus making SDS the second-largest parliamentary party after the newly formed centre-left party, Positive Slovenia (PS) (headed by Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković), which won 28 MPs (28.5% of the total). However, SDS succeeded in forming a ruling four-party coalition government (which included the Civic List, New Slovenia, Slovenian People's Party, and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia) (holding a combined total of 50 out of 90 parliamentary seats) some two months after the election after PS failed to form a coalition with a parliamentary majority. The coalition took power amid an alarming economic downturn (European debt crisis). Janša additionally pledged to cut taxes, remove regulations, lower the deficit, and raise the retirement age. It intended to cut profit and income taxes to boost the economy, and enact constitutional changes demanding balance budgets. The ZUJF fiscal consolidation law included provisions lowering pensions (widely opposed by the public), cutting wages for public sector employees, reducing education funding, social transfers and benefits. The draft of the law sparked a public sector general strike, A 2016 article alleges that the sharp downturn in Slovenian economic outlook was a result of Janša's overdramatic public statements regarding the economic fitness of the nation. Janša reportedly made such ominous claims for political purposes as means of solidifying political power and as a negotiating strategy to strengthen his hand during negotiations with public sector unions. The PM's eerie pronouncements were taken at face value by foreign observers, however, creating a self-fulfilling feedback loop where gloomy statements made by top Slovene officials created more panic and dismay in the foreign press and various organisations, and vice versa, resulting in falling credit ratings and asset prices, and excessive capital injections/bailouts with funds borrowed at excessively high interest rates. In late 2012, protests began to take place in Slovenia's second largest city, Maribor, against its mayor and SDS ally, Franc Kangler, who was being investigated due to allegations of corruption. The protests soon picked up momentum and spread across the country, becoming the largest in the independent republic's history. Protestors' main grievances were the harsh austerity measures imposed by the ruling government, looming sale-offs of state enterprises, and allegations of widespread corruption among the ruling elite. The protests also saw the worst violence in the nation's history as an independent state, with small groups of young, violent extremists - likely members of far-right and hooligan groups - clashing with police. Janša also faced graft charges even before ascending to the premiership in 2012. He was one of the defendants being tried for corruption as result of a 2006 bribery scandal involving charges of accepting kickbacks to fund his party's electoral campaign. Amid mounting pressure from continuing anti-government protests, a strike of public sector workers, coalition partners began to depart from the coalition. In June of that year, Janša began serving out his sentence, 26 years after his imprisonment for leaking military secrets as a whistle-blower (his imprisonment, trial, and public reaction were a milestone in the Slovenian path to independence). Despite his imprisonment, Janša stood as candidate for MP. In the May 2014 European Parliament election, SDS came in first place nationally, garnering 24.78% of the vote, and winning three MEP seats (out of eight allocated for Slovenia). The party received 20.69% of the vote in the snap Slovenian parliamentary election held on 13 July 2014, and won 21 seats in parliament. The party remained in opposition, this time to the cabinet of Miro Cerar. Janez Janša was reelected as MP despite being imprisoned. The Constitutional Court decided not to deprive Janša of his MP mandate, and Janša was allowed leave while carrying out his political functions. The Constitutional Court suspended Janša's jail sentence in December, pending the ruling regarding his appeal of the Patria verdict. The Constitutional Court decided to annul the Higher Court's decision in April 2015, returning it to the lower courts for retrial. In September of the same year, the statute of limitations of the Patria case expired. SDS representatives expressed the belief that the trial was politically motivated and that the imprisonment of the party frontman unfairly hindered their election efforts, declaring the elections illegitimate and "stolen", and demanded fresh elections. In 2018, SDS sued the state for alleged financial damages the party incurred due to the alleged election "theft", With a campaign largely based on anti-immigration populist rhetoric, SDS topped public opinion polls heading into the 2018 parliamentary election. During the 2018 electoral campaign, SDS also begun to send postable questionnaires ("voter consults") to Slovene households. The questionnaires contained loaded questions and proposals (e.g. "... Do you support SDS's proposal that the healthcare system be set in order?"). The effort was apparently part of the party's electoral campaign, and likely fashioned on Hungarian "national consultations", which the country's ruling party has practiced for years. SDS once again emerged as winner in the 3 June 2018 parliamentary election, garnering 24.92% of the vote and winning 25 MP seats. However, the party was unlikely to be able to shore up needed support for a governing coalition, as most parliamentary parties (List of Marjan Šarec, Social Democrats, Modern Centre Party, The Left, Party of Alenka Bratušek, and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia) had declared that they would not participate in a coalition with SDS. Some two weeks after the 2018 election, Janša again met with Hungarian PM Orbán during a private visit in Budapest. Janša and Orbán also held a conference call with US president Donald Trump during the meeting. Janša stated he would be willing to relinquish his post as PM designate to some other SDS MP such a move would ease tensions and enable SDS to form a coalition government. Despite the concession, the PM post was eventually occupied by the leader of the second largest parliamentary party, Marjan Šarec, who succeeded in forming a centre-left minority government (without the participation of SDS). After the 2018 parliamentary election, SDS failed to regain its traditionally strong showing of support in opinion polls which had been typical for the party while in opposition. Speaking to the media regarding the faltering performance, SDS officials blamed the government's alleged populist economic policies and a disproportionately hostile news media, while independent political analysts pointed to the big tent populist appeal of the ruling LMŠ party and its leader that attracted some traditionally conservative voters, and the momentous changes in the political environment and nature of SDS since 2011-2012. 2020–2022: third Janša Cabinet In early 2020, the resignation of the finance minister due to intra-government disagreements regarding the crafting of a health insurance reform bill precipitated the resignation of PM Šarec, who called for an early election. SDS was however able to secure support for the formation of a new SDS-led government by forming a coalition with New Slovenia, Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS), and Modern Centre Party (SMC). While all three parties had expressed clear opposition to a formation of a Janša-led government in the past, all had since experienced changes of leadership that was more amenable to such an arrangement. The news that SMC would be entering into a coalition with Janša resulted in the departure of the party's founder and first head, Miro Cerar, after whom the party was initially named ("Miro Cerar Party"). Janša was confirmed as PM on 13 March 2020. The coalition agreement signed between the 4 parties stipulated, among other things: the re-introduction of the draft and 6 months of mandatory military service, utilisation of private healthcare providers to reduce waiting times, an increase in public and private healthcare funds, promote apprenticeships in vocational school, a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, decentralisation, decreasing public spending, an increase in funds for municipalities, tax reductions for performance pay, an increase in pensions, and an introduction of a universal child benefit instead of an income-based one. 2022–present: return to opposition again In April 2022, liberal opposition, The Freedom Movement, won the parliamentary election. The Freedom Movement won 34.5% of the vote, compared with 23.6% for Slovenian Democratic Party. On 25 May 2022, Slovenia's parliament voted to appoint the leader of Freedom Movement, Robert Golob, as the new Prime Minister of Slovenia to succeed Janez Janša. Following the 2024 European Parliament elections, Janša opposed the European People's Party maintaining its coalition with left-leaning parliamentary groups, and expressed openness to leaving the EPP. There was speculation that the SDS would join the right-wing Patriots for Europe group, though this ultimately did not happen. == Ideology and policies ==

Originally a centre-left to centre-right political party, Deutsche Welle has described supporters of the party as "disagree[ing] with the majority of the population on more or less everything, starting with the history of World War II, where they cherish the memory of the German-allied wartime military guard." Populism During the European migrant crisis, SDS sharply intensified its nationalist populist rhetoric. The party came out in opposition of migrant quotas and advocated diverting financial resources from non-governmental organisations to security spending. Janša also lambasted the "degenerate left". The party's heated rhetoric and allegations of corrupt practices have led "to concerns among international observers about the direction of Slovenia, which is generally regarded as a regional success story" as SDS topped opinion polls heading into the 2018 parliamentary election. with Janša and the party echoing Trump's catchphrases "drain the swamp", and "fake news". The party has also proposed requiring that for each new regulation, two existing regulations must be repealed, a proposal notably advocated for and enacted by Trump. Janša has also used the phrase "Slovenia first" on multiple occasions. Janša's rhetoric has been described as "Trumpian". The party periodically sends questionnaire mailers to Slovene households. The so-called Consultations with Voters ask recipients to fill out answers to highly suggestive questions and enter their personal information to be eligible to receive various prizes. and its economic policies have been characterised as neoliberal. Social policy SDS introduced legislation allowing for same-sex civil unions while in government, PM Janša was one of the few EU leaders to explicitly back the Hungarian government's right to prohibit the portrayal of LGBT persons and topics in mass media which could be seen by children. Education policy SDS advocates the introduction of educational programs that would introduce "patriotic education from kindergarten through high school". The party holds that all expenses of compulsory curricular programs in private schools should be borne by the state. National security Janša has expressed strong support for the re-instatement of mandatory military service for males with service lasting at least 6 months (with an option of 12 months of civil service for conscientious objectors). In early 2016, SDS proposed the establishment of a national guard composed of some 25,000 "patriotic" volunteers. The guard would replace all current reserve formations of the Slovene armed forces, would be under direct command of the general staff, and would be mobilised during natural disasters or during "altered national security states" (like the European refugee crisis, which was ongoing at the time). Both sexes could enlist. MP Žan Mahnič stated the establishment of the formation was a priority of the party's electoral platform. The proposal was prompted by worsening global national security prospects, in part due to the "migrant crisis", an SDS representative claimed. Government representatives argued that such a formation is unnecessary as the current reserve formations are sufficient. Judiciary and law enforcement SDS advocates for trials to be open to the public (except in special circumstances). Environment and climate change During the first SDS government, PM Janša presented climate change as the major political and societal challenge of the era. In 2007, Janša stated that "climate change is not only a problem for the government and economy; it is a challenge for the wider society and every individual" during an international conference on the matter, stressing the dangers and opportunities associated with the issue. He called on the EU to lead the efforts to combat climate change. In 2008, Janša described an EU legislative package on energy and climate change as "one of the most important ... of the beginning of the 21st century", and as one of the priorities of Slovenia during its EU Council Presidency. In 2008, SDS MEP Romana Jordan Cizelj stated that "counteracting climate change is not an individual choice, but a global challenge requiring the effort of the society as a whole. [...] The data reveal changes in ecosystems due to antropogenic emissions and possible trends in the future. [...] It is still possible to act. But we must act decisively, swiftly, and in unison. First in coordination within the EU, and then in the global sense." By 2018, the party seemed to have reversed its position on the issue, with MP Branko Grims prominently making multiple public statements, including in media statements and parliamentary discussions, that outright denied the existence of anthropogenic climate change. Grims has said that "the talk about the warming of the Earth is a big lie", that the Earth is in fact cooling,), and that the political left is using the issue to exploit the youth. was native to the Slovene region but became extinct due to global cooling during the Carantanian era (the claim was dismissed by experts who said the black panther had not been endemic to the region since at least the last ice age). In November 2019, Janša, discussing climate change, stated: "Times are different now, generations are growing up with an awareness that the environment is a value. Of course, some on the left scene, pervaded by cultural Marxism, have swiftly added catastrophic proclamations which are supposed to be caused by climate change. It is being preached how climate change is exclusively man-made, which is entirely unproven. Climate change has been occurring throughout the history of this planet and will continue to. To what extent we are influencing this is a big question. It is a fact that we are. It is a fact that environmental pollution of course in part affects the climate. But I think that it affects it much less than changes on the Sun, or, that is, things which humans cannot influence. This must be understood and it should not be made into ideology and the fame of new Molochs such as Greta." Other policies SDS has long advocated for a change in the Slovene parliamentary electoral system, namely the shift from the current proportional electoral system to two-round plurality voting. SDS argues this would result in more stable and effective governments. SDS supports citizens' "legal right to bear arms", and has come out in opposition to further restrictions. It strongly opposed new EU regulation of firearms which the European Commission moved to pass after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. SDS has backed legislation to loosen controls on civilian possession of firearms, firearm accessories, and other weapons. In 2023, Janša called on citizens to legally arm themselves in order to "protect their family and their country" from immigrants, saying that the current government was incapable of protecting the country and its citizens. SDS supports legalising the medicinal use of cannabis, but opposes legalisation of its recreational use. SDS opposes the legalisation of assisted dying. SDS argues the current text to the Slovene national anthem—the 7th stanza of France Prešeren's A Toast ("Blessed be all nations/Which yearn to see the light of day/When where'er the Sun doth wander/The lands' strife shall be cast away/And when free every kinsman will be/Not fiends, only neighbours in foreigners we'll see!")—is "too internationalistic, and insufficiently patriotic", and advocates other stanzas from Prešeren's poem be added as text to the official anthem. The party advocates a ban on "all public expression of ideas through the use of totalitarian symbols" and "all public displays of affection for totalitarian regimes". which was the symbol of the Slovene Partisans during WWII, and is still often used in the Slovenian public sphere, including as a symbol/logo of a parliamentary political party. The proposed law would not, on the other hand, ban wearing Nazi uniforms in public or displaying symbols associated with the Nazi-aligned anti-Partisan Slovene Home Guard. Following the US targeted killing of Iranian gen. Qasem Soleimani, the party released a statement declaring that "SDS supports the strong US response to the provocations of the Ayatollah extremist regime ... ." Janša has expressed steadfast support for Israel and former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the SDS-led Slovenian government flew an Israeli flag on the ediface of the building housing the Slovene government as a show of support and solidarity with Israel. Janša has described criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestinians as tantamount to antisemitism. Janša and SDS support Ukraine in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War and advocate a hardline stance against Russia. In 2014, the party put out a statement endorsing the Euromaidan protests and the efforts of fellow EPP affiliates therein, condemning human rights abuses by the then-incumbent Ukrainian government of Viktor Yanukovych. In 2015, SDS accused Miro Cerar's then-incumbent government of Russophilia and drifting away from Europe, citing a visit to Slovenia by then-Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. Following the full-scale 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Janša was among the first foreign leaders to visit Ukraine on 15 March 2022 alongside the Polish and Czech prime ministers at the time, respectively Mateusz Morawiecki and Petr Fiala. The visit was aimed at supporting Ukraine's independence. Post-communist cabal conspiracy The central tenet of the party's view regarding the country's political situation is that a clique composed mostly of former Communist Party officials and associates has retained significant control over the economic, financial, political, social, judicial, and journalistic aspects of Slovenian public life. SDS has accused the post-communist underground of undermining SDS-led governments and lamented that "Slovenia is the only former communist country that has not implemented the lustration." "secret manifesto" of the party), and concludes by affirming the party's commitment to prevent, by any means necessary, "the establishment of an eco-socialist system ... totalitarian system". The speaker of parliament refused to hold the session after ascertaining that the issue was under the purview of the judicial branch. After the 3rd Janša government was defeated in the 2022 Slovenian parliamentary elections, Janša repeatedly accused the succeeding Golob government of leading the country into civil war. In a lengthy 2023 essay, Janša warned of impending deadly violence from leftist government supporters and warned that his side will respond to any killing of one of theirs with retaliatory mass killings: "[they are] once again reviving the ominous spirit of CIVIL WAR [...] Those who threaten DEATH today, who applaud such threats or encourage them by implementing the government measures listed above, are mostly publicly known. The digital world holds all these records. So, beware. [...] A revolt will break out, and there is no tax haven that is far away enough where those responsible can hide from the hand of justice. [...] realise that the lady with the scythe is swinging from both sides. [...] people of a particular calibre only understood this language. So, we have used it, and we believe that they have understood it. But we no longer believe that they will listen to what we have to say. They have taken things too far." and Alenka Bratušek, PS head Zoran Janković, and anti-establishment newcomer Marjan Šarec are some of the politicians accused of having "uncles from behind the scenes". The phrase was also occasionally used by former PM and President Borut Pahor, on one occasion accusing the "uncles" of attempting to topple his premiership. Milan Kučan, who is most often accused of being the foremost "uncle from behind the scenes", demanded Pahor clarify his insinuation. Pahor also accused his main 2017 presidential election challenger, Marjan Šarec, of being well looked after by the "uncles". Šarec likewise demanded Pahor clarify his statements, but also did not receive an answer. • Milan Kučan – the former two-time President of Slovenia and last leader of the League of Communists of Slovenia is frequently accused by SDS of exerting supreme covert influence over the Slovenian political sphere. In 2013, SDS alleged that Kučan was acting from behind the scenes to topple the SDS-led government; the allegation was made in a formal letter that the party addressed to multiple foreign institutions. Politicians allegedly under Kučan's influence include former New Slovenia leader Ljudmila Novak and 2018 newcomer Marjan Šarec, former PM Alenka Bratušek and Ljubljana mayor and PS leader Zoran Janković, later also receiving a 3-month suspended jail sentence for the offense. During an event marking the handover of the rotating European Council leadership to PM Janša, Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen both opened and closed her speech by quoting Kučan in what was seen as a subtle jibe at Janša's political camp. • Forum 21 – a Slovenian liberal think tank established by Milan Kučan and attended by prominent members of the Slovenian political and economic elite to discuss relevant problems facing the nation. • Murgle – the upscale Murgle residential district known for its one-story houses is home to many prominent Slovenian political and economic figures, including former liberal presidents Milan Kučan (often the main target of allusions to "Murgle") and Janez Drnovšek (deceased), former PM Miro Cerar, and Liberation Front partisan and last president of the SR Slovenia, Janez Stanovnik, among others. "Murgle" is thus another reference to the alleged behind-the-scenes influence exerted by the country's ostensibly retired leftist elites. Upon being sentenced to a two-year prison sentence in the Patria corruption case, Janez Janša stated that the verdict was "written in advance in Murgle and by known authors". Janša also blamed "Murgle" after prosecutors filed a motion to confiscate Janša's illegally obtained holdings. As part of its 2018 electoral campaign, SDS released an ad where a couple orders pizza delivery from SDS and "Pizza Murgle". The Murgle box is revealed to only contain half a pizza. SDS-affiliated • First-class and second-class citizens – the Slovenian society is ostensibly divided between the first-class entrenched leftist elites seeking to perpetuate their socioeconomic privileges and stranglehold over the country, and the downtrodden masses of second-class citizens that SDS advocates for. In 2019, Janša published a book of essays entitled First-Class Citizens: A System for the False Elite. == Organization ==

Leadership The Social Democratic Party and Slovenian Democratic Party had the following presidents. • France Tomšič, 1989. • Jože Pučnik, 1989–1993. • Janez Janša, 1993–current. Membership As of 2013, SDS membership numbered some 30,000 strong, more than any other political party in Slovenia. Slovenian Democratic Youth (, SDM) is the independent and autonomous youth wing of the party. Supporters and affiliates SDS has seen some support from the Slovene Catholic Church. philosopher Ivan Urbančič, historians Vasko Simoniti and Alenka Puhar, writer and essayist Drago Jančar, theologian and philosopher Janez Juhant, and poet Tone Kuntner. Public supporters of the party also include sportsmen Miran Pavlin, and Katja Koren, pop singer Marta Zore, designer and cartoonist Miki Muster, and actor Roman Končar. In 2008, SDS was found to have falsely attributed "supporter status" to many prominent Slovenes on its webpage. The party sent a request to comment on the ruling government for its party newspaper to numerous notable public figures. Though they were never asked whether they support the party or informed they will be listed as supporters, SDS nevertheless listed them as such. Former supporters and affiliates Many prominent members have abandoned SDS due to the radicalisation of the party's ideology and disagreements over leadership style. Some also established new political parties. Most former members politically transitioned towards the centre, with a minority outflanking SDS on the far right. Former public supporters include: sportsman Miran Pavlin. the former chairman of Rally for the Republic and Civic List party leader Gregor Virant, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitrij Rupel, and Minister of Education Žiga Turk, Miha Brejc became persona non grata after his son-in-law Gregor Virant distanced himself from Janša and established the Civic List. Affiliated organisations The party is affiliated with the Jože Pučnik Institute, the major liberal-conservative think tank in Slovenia. It is also closely affiliated with the civic platform Rally for the Republic (). Committee 2014 (Slovene: Odbor 2014) is a civic organisation that was established to protest and demand the overturn of the corruption convictions in the Patria case, the freeing of SDS leader Janez Janša from prison (sentence resulting from the conviction), and the "actual implementation of the rule of law, human rights, basic freedoms, and establishment of a democratic society". Committee 2014 held regular protests in front of the Higher Court building in Ljubljana. VSO leadership consists of prominent SDS members and associates. The organisation holds public speaking events, commemorations, and is engaged in other activities as well. Affiliated publications SDS is also affiliated with several current and past publications, including its de facto party publication, Demokracija, and tabloid Škandal24 (both owned by Nova Obzorja (English: "New Horizons") publishing company, which is in turn jointly owned by SDS and a Hungarian publishing company with close ties to Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz). Nova24TV, a media conglomerate consisting of a television channel and online news portal, was established by SDS MPs and members, and party sympathisers, and later also received financial injections from Hungarian Fidesz-affiliated companies. Slovenski tednik and Ekspres, free newspapers distributed in the run-up to the 2008 parliamentary election, were also later found to have been directly linked to SDS and its electoral efforts. As with Slovenski tednik and Ekspres, Škandal24 announced it will cease print publication the day after the 2018 parliamentary election, only continuing as an online publication. In late 2017, an array of over a dozen local/regional web news portals with a common template was also set up, with editors of all linked to SDS based on publicly available information. The websites mostly contained informative content, publishing local news with occasional articles that promoted SDS' candidates and narrative/agenda subtly mixed in. International affiliations The SDS is a member of the International Democracy Union. SDS politicians have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, and with the International Republican Institute. The party is supported by and closely affiliated with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz). SDS's committed backing of Fidesz has reportedly been the decisive factor in preventing Fidesz's expulsion from the European People's Party, resulting in a more lenient suspension. In a letter to the EPP leader, Janša warned of an "inevitable" split in the EPP if the vote to expel Fidesz were to take place. The 3rd Janša government began reorienting Slovenia's foreign alliances away from core EU countries and towards the Visegrád Group of countries, with Janša calling the countries "our friends in the region". In 2024, when the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz) formed the Patriots for Europe, a new EU political group. The SDS, which has four MEPs, ultimately remained part of the EPP Group, while noting that not all SDS MEPs agreed with this decision. == Public profile ==

Controversies and criticism In March 2021, the association of state prosecutors of Slovenia addressed a letter to the Council of Europe to voice their concerns about government pressure on prosecutors (including by PM Janša, and SDS-affiliated media). The third Janša government refused to confirm the appointment of delegated prosecutors to the EU public prosecutors office that is to scrutinise potential misuse of EU funds (both nominees had previously made prosecutorial decisions that were politically disfavourable to SDS, with one having helped bring graft charges against Janša), as well as refusing to confirm 14 prosecutors nominated by the judiciary leading to understaffing of the state prosecutorship. PM Janša also pressured the chief state prosecutor to pursue criminal charges against anti-government protesters In June 2021, the top officials of four independent state oversight institutions issued a joint statement warning of persistent political pressure, impeding their work. In 2021, articles published in The New York Times, and in Der Standard described SDS as waging a culture war by trying to shift the country's museums in a more conservative and patriotic direction by appointing like-minded people in leadership positions within the institutions. Freedom of the press SDS holds that Slovenian news media is biased and favours the left. Shortly after assuming the role of PM for the third time, SDS leader Janez Janša published an essay entitled "War with the media" in which he expounded his views on countering an oppositional news media, concluding that the battle against the "monopoly of lies" cannot be won without a fight. SDS and their allies have cultivated an ecosystem of party-aligned media outlets that include a TV channel, news websites (including a number of regional news websites), magazines, and a press agency. There was also an effort to set up a radio station. Some of the party's media endavours were strategically undertaken just prior to upcoming elections; of publishing hateful and defamatory content, and of publishing racist, Janša has also adopted a pugnacious approach to media relations, aggressively responding to almost every critical foreign press article on the political situation in Slovenia under his leadership. In a letter to top EU officials, various media freedom organisations also warned that PM Janša could use his European presidency position to "attack journalists" across the EU and normalise such behaviour among EU functionaries. First Janša cabinet: During Janša's first government, the party was accused of gaining influence over multiple public and private outlets, and pulling advertising from state-owned companies from outlets that reported critically about the government. To bring the country's largest newspaper under its control, Janša personally arranged a corrupt deal with the owner of the newspaper in which state assets were traded in exchange for editorial control over the newspaper. Third Janša cabinet: Shortly after Janša's third government took office, a loyalist (who had been previously appointed editor-in-chief of the country's largest newspaper during Janša's first government, reportedly in a secret corrupt deal between Janša and the newspaper's owner In May 2020, the government replaced 7 board members of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, shifting the political balance of power of the board in favour of the government and foreshadowing a push to replace the leadership of the institution. In October 2020, board members close to SDS and the government began an attempt to replace the then general director of the institution before the end of his term, citing poor financial management and attacks on government representatives. Commenting on the replacement push, the director said the attempt was motivated by a desire to purge RTV of journalists critical of the government. The vote to replace the director was held in November, and failed by 1 vote. With the end of the regular term of the previous director approaching, a new general director was elected in January 2021, to take office in April. While SDS failed to field a loyal candidate, votes of board members close to the government were decisive in picking the new head. Shortly after a new RTV director was chosen, PM Janša commented on a clip of RTV footage with "hopefully the new broom will fix such false reporting", leading to fears that the new director will be beholden to the government after its board members supported his nomination. During the summer of 2020, the government proposed new media laws that would increase the government's influence over the state-owned press agency Slovenian Press Agency (STA), and redirect some funds from the public broadcaster to an SDS-affiliated TV channel. The proposed legislation failed to gain traction after facing objections from all coalition partners. After STA refused to provide a government agency with business information and explanations about editorial decisions (STA argued the government agency lacked legal authority to demand such information), the government, in an unprecedented move, halted financing the news agency, saying STA had failed to meet its contractual obligations. The loss of state financing - some half of its total revenue - imperiled STA's continued existence. In early 2021, the government proposed draft legislation that would move STA into a centrally managed pension wealth fund, granting the government greater sway over the news agency. In March 2021, Janša called on the STA director to resign before the end of his term, calling him a "tool of the far left" who should be "held responsible for his unlawful actions". Janša also said that STA has been "selling lies as truth" under his leadership. The government also called on the STA board of directors to dismiss the director, and drafted a report accusing the director of dereliction of duty and wrongdoing in his official role. The government then requested the Interior Ministry to look into whether the findings of the report warrant a criminal investigation of the director. Police investigators subsequently questioned a STA board member and the Dnevnik newspaper (due to an advertisement contract with STA), with the latter stating that the investigators asked for information that constituted business secrets, which Dnevnik refused to furnish. In May 2021, after a criminal complaint was lodged by the government, police launched an investigation of Mladina for allegedly publishing classified information. The weekly published the contents of an internal government document (which was released to the public within a fortnight). The magazine responded by claiming the publication of the document was in the public interest (and thus legal) and that the government illegitimately restricted access to the document, and said the probe was intimidation. PM Janša furtively SDS was reportedly also engineering a sale of the country's largest newspaper Delo to PPF from its domestic owner to also reign in its critical coverage, using lucrative state contracts and benefits as enticements/punishments. In May 2021, the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for distributing a fixed amount of financial aid to media organisations, denied funding requests from multiple mainstream media organisations that had consistently received funding in the past (due to ostensibly unbalanced coverage) while newly apportioning the funds to multiple conservative and pro-government media organisations (multiple of which had ties to government parties); nearly all requests from conservative and pro-government media were granted. The criteria for distributing the funds had not changed. The committee responsible for distributing the funds was mostly composed of individuals with ties to SDS. The minister of culture described the shift in funding as a step towards a more balanced media environment. SDS's aggressiveness towards national and international news media and journalists has caused concern and drawn reprimands from EU politicians and institutions as Janša is poised to take over the leadership of the rotating EU Council presidency during the second half of 2021. In March 2021, the US State Department said it was monitoring the state of the news media in Slovenia. A deterioration in press freedoms in the country under the new government was subsequently noted in the State Department's international Human Rights report for 2020 published later the same month; media freedom was described as one of the key human rights concerns in Slovenia. The issue of media freedom in Slovenia came under discussion of the European Parliament and its Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG). The first discussion was held on March 5 under the auspices of DRFMG; PM Janša and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti were invited to participate but declined. The issue was also discussed by the EP during a plenary session some days later. DRFMG again discussed the issue on March 26, with the invitation to join again extended to the Slovene PM and Culture Minister. Janša initially joined discussion, but demanded a video be shown to the committee. Janša then abruptly left the videoconference after a heated exchange with the committee chair that denied his request. Janša later wrote on Twitter that he was censored by the committee. A Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights report published in June 2021 found a deterioration of press freedom in Slovenia and called on the Slovene government to remedy the situation. PM Janša, responding to the report by tweet, called the Commissioner a "[...] part of #fakenews network. Well paid by our money." Astroturfing and satellite parties SDS reportedly operates a network of fake social media accounts used to amplify its message and attack opponents. In February 2021, an SDS MP was revealed to operate a fake Twitter account. claiming he personally used to participate in the party's media operations. SDS has been accused of orchestrating the creation of at least five satellite parties in attempts to sure up a larger swath of the electorate and secure loyal coalition partners, and undermine competing parties. The journalist who uncovered the links (Anuška Delić) was charged with leaking confidential information. inadvertently confirmed allegations made by Delić by stating that the information revealed in the reports was consistent with findings of an ongoing investigation into the activities of the violent extremist group. SOVA argued that the information revealed in the reports could not have been obtained by any other means than by gaining access to information collected during the agency's covert investigations, and that the publication disrupted its efforts to monitor the group by alerting B & H of the monitoring efforts. Delić alleged the charges were "politically motivated". Some Blood & Honour members were allegedly also members of SDS, and formally met with SDS MP Branko Grims. More recently, SDS has also fostered ties with Generation Identity Slovenia, the Slovenian chapter of the far-right Identitarian movement organisations. In August 2018, the party's publishing company, New Horizons, The book was also promoted by SDS-affiliated media organisations and individuals, including SDS leader Janez Janša, with SDS MP Žan Mahnič even going so far as to post on Twitter a photo of the book taken from his parliamentary seat, with the floor of the parliamentary chamber in the background. SDS also organised a joint panel discussion on migrations with Generation Identity, and Generation Identity was advertised on an SDS-affiliated TV channel. The leader of the Austrian Identitarians, Martin Sellner, publicly thanked Janša for his support on Twitter. Sellner was at the time being investigated by Austrian authorities and ostracised by the ruling conservative Freedom Party of Austria for his financial ties with the Christchurch terrorist. During the 2020 Slovenian anti-government protests against the Third Janša government, a pro-government counter-protester group (the "Yellow Wests") was favourably covered in SDS-affiliated media, with the articles in which the Yellow Wests called on the public to join them shared by PM Janša on Twitter. 8 of the 30-some original Yellow Wests (including their spokesman) were found to have links to neo-Nazism. In 2021, the group forcefully disrupted an anti-government rally in the vicinity of a state ceremony attended by multiple foreign prime ministers. Riot police removed the provocators to avoid a massive brawl. with numerous past members claiming that Janša leads the party in an authoritarian manner and that no dissent is tolerated. to fund its electoral campaign. The party came into contact with the individual via Nova obzorja publishing company (partially owned by SDS). SDS also put up its share in Nova obzorja as collateral. The sum borrowed exceeded limits set by campaign finance laws, however, and SDS was obliged to return the borrowed funds. A police and financial court investigation was also triggered after the terms of the loan became public. An investigation into the lender was also launched, based on suspicions of money laundering, tax avoidance, destruction and falsification of business documents, and overseeing dummy companies. The individual was allegedly a part of a criminal organisation managing dummy companies that received funds of undisclosed origins (including the funds later loaned to SDS). Less than a week before the 2018 parliamentary election took place, it was revealed that media/publishing companies closely affiliated and partially owned by SDS received some €800,000 from two Hungarian nationals (or, rather, their companies) - both with close ties to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán - months before the election, bringing the total amount SDS-affiliated media companies received from Hungarian entities to over €2.2M. The SDS-affiliated media companies that received the funds in turn purchased campaign adds for SDS. Nova obzorja publishing company also attempted to loan €60,000 to the party. The same Hungarian individuals also provided funds for political allies in Macedonia. It is furthermore also known that the loan SDS attempted to obtain from a Bosnian citizen some months earlier had a Hungarian connection. Discriminatory remarks After the 2011 parliamentary elections, which saw the victory of Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković (who is of Serbian descent) and his party, a contribution published on the official SDS webpage by a "Tomaž Majer" caused considerable public outrage. Majer states that Janković was elected by "well-disciplined new citizens" living in "high-rise neighbourhoods", tracksuit-clad voters with foreign accents arriving at polling places in groups holding notes with instructions on whom to vote for. These "new citizens" were allegedly mobilised by being admonished their citizenship will be revoked if "the right" is elected. Several media organisations attempted to identify the author, but were unsuccessful. It has been speculated that the real author of the text was in fact Janez Janša, based on similar known past statements (specifically, his 1993 commentary on the poor electoral performance of SDS during the 1992 elections). SDS MP Marijan Pojbič, in a 2017 Statehood Day address on Facebook, called for "No more mayors that aren't real Slovenes, and even fewer national politicians who aren't real Slovenes by birth." In 2020, SDS politician Žan Mahnič, a former MP then serving as national security state secretary, shared a tweet of an image of white-skinned women with different hair colours accompanied with the comment "This is all the diversity Europe needs." The original author of the tweet was a user using the screen name "franca - EtnoNacionalist". Mahnič was subsequently criticised for promoting racism. In 2021, Prime Minister Janša shared a tweet saying that the amount "death, suffering, repression, desolation and societal backwardness" caused by The Communist Manifesto is second only to the Quran. The tweet was condemned by the Slovenian Muslim community, and the Turkish national broadcaster TRT. Janša defended sharing the tweet by noting that his Twitter profile bio says re-tweets are not endorsements. == Election results ==

ImageSize = width:500 height:200 PlotArea = width:400 height:170 left:50 bottom:20 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:32 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0 PlotData = bar:Seats color:claret width:30 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S bar:1990 color:yellow from:start till:6 text:6 bar:1992 color:yellow from:start till:4 text:4 bar:1996 color:yellow from:start till:16 text:16 bar:2000 color:yellow from:start till:14 text:14 bar:2004 color:yellow from:start till:29 text:29 bar:2008 color:yellow from:start till:28 text:28 bar:2011 color:yellow from:start till:26 text:26 bar:2014 color:yellow from:start till:21 text:21 bar:2018 color:yellow from:start till:25 text:25 bar:2022 color:yellow from:start till:27 text:27 bar:2026 color:yellow from:start till:28 text:28 National Assembly European Parliament Presidential == References ==