SLOVENIA: Voters reject government’s “political police law” in referendum

In a referendum on 11 October, voters rejected changes to the Parliamentary Inquiry Act, with 51% of the votes against the reform, preventing the law from entering into force. Opponents, journalists and civil society have labelled the proposal from the Janša government the “political police law”, because it would significantly expand the powers of parliamentary inquiry committees to obtain individuals’ personal, financial, and communication data.  

Additionally, individuals summoned to appear before the parliamentary inquiry committee would have been required to attend immediately and would not have had the right to challenge the summons until the committee had completed its work. Of the four questions included in the referendum, the proposed change to the Parliamentary Inquiry Act was the only one subject to a binding vote.  

The result represents a significant setback for government efforts to expand the powers of parliamentary inquiry committees while reducing judicial safeguards. Civil society organisations, journalists’ associations, trade unions, and legal experts had warned that the amendments could weaken judicial safeguards, facilitate politically motivated investigations, and endanger the protection of journalists’ sources.