Right to vote

Any citizen who has reached the age of 18 on the day local elections are held, is a citizen of Slovenia or a citizen of another EU Member State with a permanent residence permit and a registered place of permanent residence in Slovenia or a certificate of registration of residence and a registered place of temporary residence in Slovenia has the right to vote and to stand as a municipal council candidate.

Foreign nationals with a permanent residence permit and a registered place of permanent residence in Slovenia may also vote in local elections.

Citizens of other EU Member States and foreign nationals require no special registration to exercise this right.

In local elections, voters are only able to vote in the municipality in which they have their registered place of residence.

Persons whose legal capacity has been removed or who are cared for by their parents or by carers under the terms of extended parental rights are restricted from exercising their right to vote at local elections under the provisions of the law governing voting rights for elections to the National Assembly. 

Voting methods

Ordinary local elections, at which mayors and members of municipal councils are elected, take place every four years on the third Sunday in November.

Elections are held at polling stations. In some cases provided for by law, voters may also vote at home or by post.

• Voters in custody, a penal institution, hospital or social care institution may vote by post provided they notify the district electoral commission no later than 10 days before the day of the vote. Disabled persons may vote in the same way if they notify the district electoral commission and submit a decision on the recognition of their disabled status from the competent authority no later than 10 days before the day of the vote. Disabled persons may also vote by post on a permanent basis if they notify the district electoral commission and submit a decision on the recognition of their disabled status from the competent authority. This notification is valid until it is withdrawn by the disabled person.
• Voters who are unable to come to the polling station in which they are entered in the electoral register because of illness may vote at home if they notify the municipal electoral commission no later than three days before the day of the vote.

Before voting begins, a member of the electoral commission identifies the voter by means of a personal identification document or in some other way.

Municipal council elections

Standing in an election

Candidates and candidate lists for the municipal council are determined by political parties in the municipality and voters in the constituency.

Municipal council candidates who are representatives of the Italian or Hungarian national communities in individual municipalities are nominated by voters belonging to these national communities if they obtain at least 15 signatures.

Municipal council candidates who are representatives of the Roma community in individual municipalities are nominated by voters belonging to these national communities if they obtain at least 15 signatures, or nominated by the body of a Roma organisation within the municipality.

If a person wishes to stand for election, their written consent is required.

Elections

A municipal council may comprise between 7 and 45 members depending on the size of the municipality. The members of the municipal council are elected for a four-year term of office.

Where a municipal council comprises between 7 and 11 members, those members are elected under a majority electoral system.

Where a municipal council comprises between 12 and 45 members, those members are elected under a proportional electoral system.

Members of a municipal council who are representatives of the Italian or Hungarian national communities or of the Roma community are elected under majority electoral system.

Mayoral elections

Right to vote

Only a Slovenian citizen over the age of 18 may be elected as a mayor.

Standing in an election

A political party or group of voters may propose a candidate for mayor.

If a person wishes to stand for election, their written consent is required.

Elections

A candidate who gains the majority of valid votes is elected as mayor.

If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a second round of voting is held in which voters choose between the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes in the first round.

The two candidates on the ballot paper in the second round are listed in order of the number of votes they obtained during the first round. If the number of votes is the same, the order is determined by the drawing of lots.

The second round of an ordinary election is organised by the State Electoral Commission and held 14 days after the first round.