SLOVENIA: Hostile narratives, parliamentary inquiries, and intimidation tactics against civil society

Following the March 2026 parliamentary elections, Slovenia entered a fragmented political situation with multiple right-leaning actors, including the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), New Slovenia-Christian Democrats (NSi–SLS–Fokus), Demokrati, and the anti-establishment party Resni.ca, trying to form a new government under SDS leader Janez Janša.

SDS has already, for years, promoted stigmatising narratives portraying civil society as politically biased and misusing public funds. During Janša’s previous government in 2020–2022, CSOs faced hostile rhetoric, such as accusations of being “parasites”, financial and administrative pressure, and attempts to evict organisations from the Metelkova area, a major hub for independent CSOs. In campaign messaging, SDS figures have repeatedly suggested the need to “turn off the funding taps” for CSOs critical of the government policies.

Among the key priorities of the possible new government is the parliamentary inquiry into the financing and activities of CSOs. SDS and NSi have repeatedly used parliamentary inquiries to examine alleged political or financial misconduct, often in politicised contexts, reflecting a broader pattern of parliamentary inquiries being used in political contestation in Slovenia. The inquiry aims to examine the use of public funds, assess whether CSOs shape public opinion in favour of specific political actors, and identify irregularities. According to civil society, parliamentary inquiries are used as a political instrument of pressure and delegitimisation rather than as neutral oversight. Simultaneously, planned reforms to the Parliamentary Inquiry Act would introduce judicial protection for witnesses but also tighten procedural constraints, potentially limiting the position of those under investigation.

Another example of stigmatisation and smearing of civic actors is the recent attack against the representative of the NGO Danes je nov dan, Filip Dobranić. On 13 May 2026, at a press conference of the NGO coalition announcing a campaign against an Intervention Development Act, an austerity law pushed forward by the right-wing coalition already before the government is formed and bypassing consultation and democratic processes, Dobranić called on people to put pressure on members of the Parliament to oppose the act. He was referring specifically to those from the Resni.ca group, encouraging people to defend the right to a referendum through standard democratic actions, such as contacting representatives. As a result, the Resni.ca group MEP, Katja Kokot, filed a criminal complaint against Dobranić for alleged incitement to hatred and violence, called for security assessments for MPs, demanded a review of civil society funding, and suggested suspending funding to Dobranić’s organisation.

SDS leader Janša and allied media compared Dobranić’s actions to historically dangerous practices of public targeting and smeared him. The politicians’ and media’s reactions show the attempts to silence critical civil society and overlook public debate and criticism of elected decision-makers as core democratic rights. Slovenia’s leaders’ recent attacks of hostile rhetoric and criminal complaints, legislative inquiries and funding threats are increasingly stigmatising and eroding trust in independent civil society, while also creating a chilling effect on civic engagement at large.