The Slovenian Parliament has started a new term and the very first session brought a surprise - Zoran Stevanović, leader of the anti-establishment party Resnica, was elected President of the National Assembly. He won 48 votes in the secret ballot thanks to the support of the opposition Slovak Democratic Party of Janez Janša and the New Slovenia party. In an interview with Slovenian Radio and Television, Stevanovic said his party would fulfil a pre-election promise to hold a referendum on Slovenia's withdrawal from Nato.

„We will categorically oppose interference in foreign military conflicts, because Slovenia does not benefit from it,“ said the new Speaker of Parliament.

The topic of the NATO referendum is not new in Slovenia. Back in July 2025 it was raised by the then Prime Minister Robert Golob, The dispute was, however, from the beginning primarily an instrument of internal political struggle. Slovenia has been a member of NATO since 2004. At that time, 66 % citizens voted in favour of accession in a referendum. The situation has changed since then, polls from 2025 show that about half of the Slovenian population supports the Alliance.

The Resnica party won just under 5.5 % votes and five parliamentary seats in the 22 March 2026 elections. Stevanovic is the speaker of parliament, not the prime minister. He has no executive powers. Any referendum would not be legally binding in Slovenia.

gnews.cz - GH