Thirteenth government of Slovenia was sworn in

Slovenia got a new government on Thursday.

This means that the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec, was finally joined by the ministers who will take care of particular areas, such as education and health.

The government was most confirmed by the majority of the deputies present, who were elected by voters in June.

After the appointment of the government, its members swore to respect the [country’s] laws. This procedure follows the most important document in a country, that we call the constitution.

The government is an executive state body.

It is important because it directs the most important things in the country. It also suggests how much money will be allocated to an individual area, such as education and health.

There will be 16 ministers in the government of Marjan Šarec. These are usually politicians from different political parties, but they can also be experts suggested by these parties.

Marjan Šarec formed an alliance with the parties participating in the government. We call this alliance a coalition. Outside of this alliance, there are those parties who were also elected to the National Assembly but who do not participate in the government. We call these parties the opposition.

The aim of the coalition and the opposition is to improve the situation in the country. However, the coalition and opposition usually do not have the same view of how to do this, so they often disagree.

There will be five parties in the government of Marjan Šarec. This is a lot. Moreover, the individual parties may have different views on what is good for the country. The government will thus be an important test for Marjan Šarec.

Glossary

Parliament a legislative body of government.

Points to Consider

1. Why politicians sometimes cannot agree on certain topics?
2. What would your message to politicians be?
3. Have your parents voted?

***

The original version of this article was published on September 13th.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.