Slovenia schedules four referendums for October 11

The Slovenian Parliament has scheduled four referendums to take place on October 11. These include one legislative referendum regarding an amendment to the parliamentary inquiry law and three consultative referendums.

The consultative referendums will address whether social assistance for able-bodied individuals should be conditioned on socially beneficial work, the abolition of the mandatory RTV (public broadcasting) contribution, and whether citizens of third countries should have voting rights in local elections.

Political leaders expressed conflicting views on the move. Zvone Černač of the SDS emphasized that the referendums allow for direct democratic participation and noted that holding them simultaneously is cost-effective. Conversely, Borut Sajovic of the Freedom Movement argued that the three consultative referendums appear more motivated by political mobilization than substantive content.

Concerns were also raised regarding the legality of the referendum on voting rights for third-country citizens. The National Assembly's legal service warned it might be inadmissible, a point echoed by Freedom Movement leader Robert Golob, who criticized the potential waste of taxpayer money on a result that may not be legally binding.