Constitution

The Slovenian Constitution is the highest legal act, and is adopted and amended by the National Assembly according to a special procedure requiring a two-thirds majority. It was adopted on 23 December 1991 and establishes a parliamentary governance system.

This supreme instrument in the hierarchical order is followed by other legal acts, ranging from laws adopted by the National Assembly, government decrees implementing laws, regulations, guidelines and decrees issued by the ministries, intended to implement laws, and government decrees, to regulations of local self-governing bodies adopted to regulate matters within their respective spheres of competence.

Constitutional court

The Constitutional Court is the highest judicial authority for safeguarding constitutionality, legality, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. As an independent and autonomous constitutional body, it operates outside the traditional separation of powers, possessing unique competences compared to other courts with judicial functions.

The key responsibilities of the Constitutional Court include reviewing the constitutionality of legislative acts of the legeslative branch and the constitutionality and legality of regulations of the executive branch. It adjudicates constitutional complaints regarding violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms through individual acts, disputes over competencies between the state and local communities, disputes among local communities, and issues of unconstitutionality in the acts and actions of political parties.

The Constitutional Court consists of nine judges, elected by the National Assembly upon the proposal of the President of the Republic. Constitutional judges serve a nine-year term and cannot be re-elected.

Parliament

The Slovenian Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council. The National Assembly comprises 88 representatives of political parties and two representatives of the Italian and Hungarian ethnic communities. The National Council is composed of 40 representatives of employers, employees, farmers, craftsmen, independent professionals, non-economic activities, and local interests.

National Assembly

The National Assembly is representative and legislative body that fulfills all the main functions of a modern parliament: legislative, electoral, and supervisory. In its legislative role, it adopts constitutional amendments, laws, and other general acts, including national programs, declarations, resolutions, rules of procedure, the state budget, and the final budget account. It also ratifies international treaties and calls referendums. In its supervisory role, the National Assembly conducts parliamentary inquiries, decides on votes of confidence and no-confidence in the government, and handles impeachment proceedings against the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and ministers before the Constitutional Court. In its electoral role, it appoints and dismisses high-ranking state officials, including the Prime Minister and ministers, the President and Vice-Presidents of the National Assembly, and, upon the proposal of the President of the Republic, Constitutional Court judges, the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, and the Ombudsman for Human Rights.

The National Assembly is a collegial body consisting of 90 deputies, citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. Members of the Italian and Hungarian communities are specifically represented, with each community guaranteed one parliamentary seat regardless of their population size.

Members of the National Assembly

Deputies are elected directly based on universal and equal suffrage through secret ballot. Any citizen who is at least 18 years old and has not been deprived of legal capacity or had parental rights extended beyond adulthood is eligible for election as a deputy.

The term of office for deputies is four years but may end earlier due to the dissolution of the National Assembly and early elections. The National Assembly's term may also exceed four years, but only in cases of war or a state of emergency.

Deputies perform their parliamentary duties professionally, which means their role as a deputy is incompatible with certain other functions or activities.

National Council

The National Council represents the holders of social, economic, professional, and local interests. In terms of state functions performed by national bodies, the National Council cannot be classified as exercising legislative, executive, or judicial powers.

However, its powers indicate that it operates within a legislative role, as it can propose the adoption of laws to the National Assembly and request that the National Assembly reconsider a law before its promulgation — a right of veto.

The National Council consists of 40 councillors: four representatives of employers, four representatives of employees, four representatives of farmers, craftsmen, and independent professionals, six representatives of non-economic activities, and 22 representatives of local interests. It is thus composed of two fundamental groups: representatives of labor and social interests on one side and representatives of local interests on the other.

Members of the National Council are elected for a five-year term, unlike deputies of the National Assembly. By ensuring that the terms of the two national bodies do not overlap, the continuity of their joint functioning is maintained.

Government

The Government wields executive power and is composed of the Prime Minister and Ministers. The Government is responsible to the deputies in the National Assembly, who confirm the Government. The Government directs and coordinates the implementation of state policy, taking into account the provisions of the Constitution, laws and other general acts of the National Assembly.

The Government thus issues regulations and adopts the legal, political, economic, financial, organisational and other measures necessary to ensure the development of the State and the regulation of all areas for which the Republic of Slovenia is responsible. It proposes laws, the state budget, national programmes and other general acts to the National Assembly for adoption, which define the principal and long-term political orientations for particular areas.

The Government is headed by the Prime Minister, who is elected by secret ballot by the deputies in the National Assembly with the required majority of their votes. After being elected to office, the Prime Minister proposes to the National Assembly candidates for ministers who must be approved by the deputies. The Prime Minister heads and directs the Government's work, ensures the unity of its political and administrative orientation, coordinates the work of ministers, represents the Government, and convenes and chairs its sessions.

President of the Republic of Slovenia

The President of the Republic of Slovenia represents the Republic of Slovenia and serves as the commander-in-chief of the country’s defence forces. The President is elected by citizens in direct, general, and secret elections for a term of five years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Although the role of the President of the Republic falls within the framework of the executive branch, it is primarily representative and initiatory. In this capacity, the President calls elections to the National Assembly, promulgates laws, appoints certain state officials where provided by law, appoints and recalls ambassadors and envoys of the Republic of Slovenia, accepts credentials of foreign diplomatic representatives, issues ratification documents, grants pardons, awards decorations and honorary titles, decides on the opening or closure of missions abroad, nominates the Human Rights Ombudsman, and appoints judges of the Court of Auditors and judges at the European Court of Human Rights.

In situations where normal functioning of constitutional and political system is disrupted or even rendered impossible, and certain state bodies are unable to operate, the President of the Republic holds extraordinary powers. The President decides on the declaration of a state of war or state of emergency, adopts and repeals necessary measures, authorizes the use of defense forces, and issues decrees with the force of law related to national defense and the temporary suspension of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Judiciary

The judicial function exercised by the judiciary is, along with the executive and legislative functions, one of the three branches of power that ensure the rule of law in Slovenia. The main tasks of the judicial system include deciding on the rights and obligations of citizens in specific cases and deciding on the charges against them. The Slovenian Constitution requires that all courts be impartial, independent and established by the law, and judges to be independent in their work, bound only by the Constitution and the law.  

The uniform judicial system of the Republic of Slovenia (page in Slovene) is composed of general and specialised courts. Specialised courts engage in matters pertaining to labour, social and administrative law, while the general courts are divided into local, district and higher courts, and the Supreme Court.

Local self-government

The residents of Slovenia exercise their right to local self-government in municipalities and other local communities. Municipalities are an equal partner of the State and are managed by three independent bodies: the mayor, the municipal council and the supervisory board. The mayor and members of the municipal council are elected by the people in local elections every four years, while the supervisory board is appointed by the municipal councilors. Slovenia has 212 municipalities, of which 12 hold the status of urban municipalities.