Slovenians will flock to the polls on 3 October in what will be the fourth general election since the country gained independence in 1991. As many as 1,131 candidates on 23 lists will be vying for 90 seats in parliament.
While a quarter of the candidates are women, there is one candidate standing for the seat reserved for a representative of the Italian minority, and five for the seat reserved for the Hungarian minority. Some 1.6 million voters will be eligible to vote this time.
The number of candidates standing for election was the highest in 1992, when 1,475 were registered, of which 14.9 percent were women. The 1992 general election still holds the turnout record, as 85.9 percent of the electorate went to the polls. Twelve of the 90 elected MPs were women (13.3%).
The number of candidates dropped every time a general election was held in Slovenia, and so did the turnout. In 1996, only 1,300 candidates registered to stand for election, of which 18.6 percent were women. The turnout was 73.7 percent, down 12.1 percentage points from 1992. Seven MPs were women (7.8%).
The latest general election, held in 2000, saw 1,007 candidates registered for the vote, of which 23.4 were women. Women represented 13.3 percent of the elected MPs, the same as in 1992. Turnout stood at 70.4 percent.
While the first multi-party election in fact took place on 8 April 1990 before the country went independent, the first general election was held on 6 December 1992, with 25 lists of candidates standing for election.
The party that won a majority of the vote (23.5%, 22 seats) was the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDS). Coming in second was the Slovenian Christian Democrats (SKD) with 14.5% and 15 seats, followed by the United List - the Party of Democratic Renovation (ZL-SDP) with 13.6% and 14 seats.
The National Party (SNS) secured 10% or 12 seats, which is by far the largest number of seats the party has ever won. The People's Party (SLS) got 8.7% of the vote or 10 seats, the Democratic Party (Democrats) 5% or 6 seats, the Greens 3.7% or 5 seats, and the Social-Democratic Party (SDSS) 3.3% or 4 seats. Two seats went to representatives of ethnic minorities.
Voters headed for the polls again on 10 November 1996, when 22 lists were registered for election. Once again, the slightly renamed Liberal Democracy (LDS), managed to secure the largest share of the vote or 27%, which translated into 25 seats.
The SLS won 19.4%, a major rise from 1992, and got 19 seats. Coming in third was the Social-Democratic Party (SDS) with 16.1%, a dramatic increase from 1992, when it secured only 3.3%. The SDS won as many as 16 seats.
Compared to 1992, the SKD and the renamed United List of Social Democrats (ZLSD) made losses in 1996; while both lost 5 seats, the SKD got only 10 seats (9.6% as compared to 14.5% in 1992) and the ZLSD only 9 (9% of the vote).
Another loser was the SNS, which only managed to get 3.2% or 4 seats. The Democratic Party of Pensioners (DeSUS) secured 4.3 percent of the vote, or 5 seats, with two seats again going to minority representatives.
On 15 October 2000, the LDS celebrated a landslide victory, having secured 36.3 percent of the vote or 34 seats - the most impressive showing any party has had in the short history of Slovenia's general election.
While 23 lists of candidates stood for election, only eight parties managed to get into parliament. Coming in second and improving its 1996 result substantially was the ZLSD. It won 12.1 percent of the vote, securing 11 seats. Like in 1996, the SDS was third, with 15.8% or 14 seats.
New Slovenia (NSi), which was set up a few months before the election when several members of the SLS+SKD defected, took 8.6 percent or 8 seats. Considered by many a loser of the election compared to four years ago, the SLS only got 9.5% of the vote or 9 seats.
The DeSUS (5.2%), the SNS (4.4%) and the newcomer to parliament, the Youth Party (SMS; 4.3%) won four seats each.
Source: STA (Slovene Press Agency)