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Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.

Profile updated 2026-06-02

Government & politics at a glance

Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Slovenia: Republic of Slovenia

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Identity & names

Full Country Name

Republic of Slovenia

Country Name

Slovenia

Local - Long

Republika Slovenija

Local - Short

Slovenija

Former Name

People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia

Etymology- history of name

the country's name means "Land of the Slavs" in Slovene

Independence

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National Holiday

Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Political system

Government Type

parliamentary republic

Constitution
  • history: previous 1974 (preindependence);
  • latest passed by Parliament 23 December 1991 amendments: proposed by at least 20 National Assembly members, by the government, or by petition of at least 30,000 voters; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required if agreed upon by at least 30 Assembly members; passage in a referendum requires participation of a majority of eligible voters and a simple majority of votes cast; amended several times, last in 2016
Legal System:

civil law system

Executive Branch:
  • chief of state: President Natasa PIRC MUSAR (since 23 December 2022); note - PIRC
  • Prime Minister Robert GOLOB (since 1 June 2022) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister,
  • elected by the National Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held on 23 October 2022 with a runoff on 13 November (next to be held in 2027); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually nominated prime minister by the pr
  • esident and elected by the National Assembly election results: 2022:
  • Natasa PIRC MUSAR elected president in second round: percent of vote in first round - Anze LOGAR (SDS) 34%, Natasa PIRC MUSAR (independent) 26.9%, Milan BRGLEZ (SD) 15.5%, Vladimir PREBILIC (independent) 10.6%, Sabina SENCAR (Resni.ca) 5.9%, Janez CIGLER KRALJ (NSi) 4.4%, other 2.7%; percent of vote in second round - Natasa PIRC MUSAR 53.9%, Anze LOGAR 46.1%; Robert GOLOB (GS) elected prime minister on 25 May 2022,
  • National Assembly vote - 54-30 2017: Borut PAHOR reelected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Borut PAHOR (independent) 47.1%, Marjan SAREC (Marjan Sarec List) 25%, Romana TOMC (SDS) 13.7%, Ljudmila NOVAK (NSi) 7.2%, other 7%; percent of vote in second round - Borut PAHOR 52.9%, Marjan SAREC 47.1%
Legislative Branch:

Description

bicameral Parliament consists of: National Council (State Council)or Drzavni Svet (40 seats; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve 5-year terms);

Note

  • the Council is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 88 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 2 directly elected in special constituencies for Italian and Hungarian minorities by simple majority vote
  • members serve 4-year terms)
  • elections: National Council - last held on 24 November 2022 (next to be held in 2027)
  • National Assembly - last held on 24 April 2022 (next to be held in 2026)
  • election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition (as of January 2023) - men 33, women 7, percent of women 17.5%
  • National Assembly - percent of vote by party - GS 34.5%, SDS 23.5%, NSi 6.9%, SD 6.7%, Levica 4.4%, other 24%; seats by party - GS 41, SDS 27, NSi 8, SD 7, Levica 5; composition (as of January 2023) - men 56, women 34, percent of women 37.8%;

Note

total Parliament percent of women 31.5%

Judicial Branch:
  • highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 37 judges organized into civil, criminal, commercial, labor and social security, administrative, and registry departments); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president,
  • and 7 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and vice president appointed by the National Assembly upon the proposal of the Minister of Justice based on the opinions of the Judicial Council, an 11-member independent body elected by the National Assembly from proposals submitted by the president, attorneys, law universities, and sitting judges; other Supreme Court judges elected by the National Assembly from candidates proposed by the Judicial Council; Supreme Court judges serve for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly from nominations by the president of the republic; Constitutional Court president selected from among its own membership for a 3-year term; ot
  • her judges elected for single 9-year terms subordinate courts: county, district, regional, and high courts; specialized labor-related and social courts; Court of Audit; Administrative Court
Regions or States:

200 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 12 urban municipalities (mestne obcine, singular - mestna obcina) municipalities: Ajdovscina, Ankaran, Apace, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke, Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica, Cankova, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno, Cerkvenjak, Cirkulane, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca, Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Polhov Gradec, Dobrovnik/Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale, Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gorje, Gornja Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina, Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina, Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola/Isola, Jesenice, Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal ob Soci, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje, Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Kosanjevica na Krki, Kostel, Kozje, Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart, Lendava/Lendva, Litija, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Log-Dragomer, Logatec, Loska Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk, Makole, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Mokronog-Trebelno, Moravce, Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica, Pesnica, Piran/Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka, Poljcane, Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Puconci, Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na Koroskem, Razkrizje, Recica ob Savinji, Rence-Vogrsko, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogaska Slatina, Rogasovci, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic, Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur, Sentrupert, Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smarjeske Toplice, Smartno ob Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Sredisce ob Dravi, Starse, Store, Straza, Sveta Ana, Sveta Trojica v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij ob Scavnici, Sveti Jurij v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Tomaz, Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic, Trzin, Turnisce, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej, Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica, Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica, Zrece, Zuzemberk urban municipalities: Celje, Koper, Kranj, Krsko, Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Velenje

Political Parties and Leaders:
  • Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia or DeSUS [Ljubo JASNIC]
  • Freedom Movement or GS [Robert GOLOB] (formerly Greens Actions Party or Z.DEJ)
  • List of Marjan Sarec or LMS [Marjan SAREC]
  • New Slovenia - Christian Democrats or NSi [Matej TONIN]
  • Party of Alenka Bratusek or SAB [Alenka BRATUSEK] (formerly Alliance of Social Liberal Democrats or ZSD and before that Alliance of Alenka Bratusek or ZaAB)
  • Resni.ca [Zoran STEVANOVICH]
  • Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS [Janez JANSA] (formerly the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia or SDSS)
  • Slovenian National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC Plemeniti]
  • Social Democrats or SD [Tanja FAJON]
  • The Left or Levica [Luka MESEC] (successor to United Left or ZL)
Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship Criteria:
  • no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Slovenia; both parents if the
  • child is born outside of Slovenia dual citizenship recognized: yes,
  • for select cases residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years, the last 5 of which have been continuous

Capital & time

Capital Name

Ljubljana

Capital - geographic coordinate

46 03 N, 14 31 E

Capital Time Difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Daylight Savings Time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

International role

International Organization Participation:

Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

International Law Organization Participation:

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Diplomatic Representation from US:

chief of mission

Ambassador Jamie L. HARPOOTLIAN (since 17 February 2022) embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana mailing address: 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140

telephone

[386] (1) 200-5500

FAX

[386] (1) 200-5555

Email address and website

Diplomatic Representation in the US:

chief of mission

Ambassador Iztok MIROŠIČ (since 15 September 2023)

chancery

2410 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 386-6611

FAX

[1] (202) 386-6633

Email address and website

consulate(s) general

Cleveland (OH)

More about Slovenia

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