By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Nearly 5,000 Slovenians gathered in Ljubljana, despite heavy rain, to protest against the country’s political powers and demanded government changes.

A Facebook group was created in November to demand the resignation of Janez Jansa, leader of the centre-right government. With over 18,000 followers, the Facebook group stated, “We demand the resignations of all incapable and corrupted political elite members.”

The group also demanded the prime minister designate, Alenka Bratusek, to set an early date for elections as soon as she officially takes office.

The protest movement followed various corruption allegations against Jansa over the struggling economy and austerity measures that resulted in declining living standards and unemployment rise.

Furthermore, Jansa’s government started to fall after three of the five parties quit his Cabinet because the prime minister was accused of corruption. He allegedly failed to declare $285,000 of his personal assets.

Protesters carried banners that said, “We do not want a new government but revolutionary changes” and “There will be no peace until there is justice.” Another banner stated, “We are not right and we are not left but we are the people who are sick of you.”

Moreover, protesters placed stickers that said, “This is our property” all over the central bank building and other public institutions.

One protester, Gorazd Mlekuz, who works in transport, said, “The incoming government has the same structure, the same principles as the old one, so we need a new election and we have to vote out the parties that are in parliament at present. We need to create jobs for the young. My son, who is a historian, was an excellent student but there is no job for him. He works as a volunteer now and he was lucky to get even that.”

Another protester, a 21-year-old social science student, said, “I’m protesting because life in Slovenia is getting worse, there is more and more poverty and people are not equal. The government scrapped my scholarship last year so I can only get by with the help of my parents, but I am worried that even an early election might not bring any improvement.”

Despite the corruption allegations, Jansa continues to praise his austerity program and stated he believed the allegations were merely politically motivated to weaken his administration.

He warned that the nation could face bankruptcy after his unseating. He stated, “Greece is slowly turning to recovery, I would be happy to say the same for Slovenia.”

While Slovenia struggles to avoid an international bailout, parliament nominated budget expert, Alenka Bratusek, of the center-left Positive Slovenia to form a new government. If she fails to form a new government soon, Slovenia could face early elections for the second time in less than two years.

For further information, please see:

AFP – Thousands of Slovenians Demand More Changes, Early Vote – 9 March 2013

Aljazeera – Slovenians Take to Streets Against Corruption – 9 March 2013

Reuters – Protests In Slovenia Continue Despite Government’s Fall – 9 March 2013

Inquirer News – Slovenia’s Troubled Government Ousted – 28 February 2013