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SLOVENIA |
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Last Updated: Monday 7 March 2005 National anthem |
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The Slovenes are a south Slav people who have lived in their mountainous territory with fertile valleys and several rivers since the 6th century AD. The country, straddling between Italy and the Adriatic Sea beyond, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, was for centuries under Germanic rule. It was governed by the Hapsburg monarchs of the Austrian Empire. The Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, are historically renowned in the territory.
With a population of nearly 2 million, 88% are Slovenes, 3% Croats, 2% Serbs, 1.6% other southern Slavs and 0.4% Hungarians. Another 5% are of mixed status.
Religion is predominantly Christian, Roman Catholic 71%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%, agnostic 4% and others 23%. Slovenia has still to settle a minor dispute with Austria over the post-WWII treatment of German-speaking minorities. Slovene, a south Slavic language which is exclusively written in Latin characters, is spoken by 91% of the population. Serbo-Croatian is spoken has a 6% fluency and other languages 3%. Other than in Slovenia, the language is also spoken by inhabitants in Austria, Italy, Hungary and other parts of the Slav Balkans. Slovene territory formed part of the Holy Roman Empire and later Austria until 1918 when the Slovenes, Serbs and Croats formed a new nation of southern Slavs, or Yugoslavia, in 1929. As a constituent republic of post-war communist Yugoslavia, Slovenia had acted as a very liberal republic within the federation and since the early 1980s had pressed Belgrade for a greater amount of political pluralism and freedom.Independence was achieved on the 25th June, 1991 (now celebrated as Statehood Day) in a relatively bloodless coup which, unlike the rest of former Yugoslavia, was due to the relative minority of Serb mainly and other ethnic groups in the territory. Although the Federal Army had attempted to intervene, Slovene forces put up a good defence of the country and within ten days, the republic achieved its political freedom. This independence also had its approval by an overwhelming majority of citizens in a referendum. The present constitution was adopted on the 23rd December, 1991 and it became effective on the same date. The president of the republic is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. His duties include the nomination of the leader of the majority party or coalition to become prime minister following the National Assembly elections. The incumbent president since the 22nd December, 2002 is Janez Drnovsek, former leader of the centre-left Liberal Democrats. Elections by popular vote to the 90-seat unicameral National Assembly take place every four years. Forty seats are directly elected and 50 selected on a proportional basis. Suffrage is universal at 18 years of age, but at 16 years of age, if employed.Fresh elections (60% turnout) were held on the 3rd October, 2004 when the opposition centre-right parties obtained the majority of votes (38%, 39 seats) and ousted the centre-left coalition (37%, 37 seats) led by the Liberal Democratic party of Prime Minister Anton Rop. The remaining 14 seats went to the people’s party 7, nationalists 6 and independent 1. The leader designate is Mr Janez Jansa, leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party, in talks with two other centre-right parties, New Slovenia and the People’s Party. The Council of Ministers is nominated by the prime minister and confirmed by the National Assembly. Mr Rop had been previously confirmed by a National Assembly vote of 63 to 24. There is also a high-ranking National Council which is an advisory body having limited legislative powers. It may initiate laws and request the review of National Assembly decisions. Forty members represent local, professional, and socio-economic interests among the electorate. The capital is Ljubljana, controlling some of Europe’s major eastern Alpine transit routes. There are 182 obcine or municipalities with a further 45 obcina being developed. Following are the names of 11 mestne obcine or urban municipalities: Celje, Koper-Capodistria, Kranj, Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Velenje. On the 1st May, 2004 Slovenia joined the European Union. ANTHEM. Sweet wines have the vines again produced, music by Stanko Premrl. Sweet wines have the vines again producedMy friends, the vines have again produced Sweet wine which gives life to our veins, Clears eye and heart, Melts all our troubles away, And awakens hope in our sad breast.
Long live all nations which long to see the day when, Wherever the sun shines, Strife will be banished from the world.
Everybody will be like simple brothers, And frontiers will be not enemies, but neighbours. Dnevnik - Ljubljana daily newspaperDelo – Ljubljana daily newspaper Finance - business daily newspaper |
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