The Slovenian Parliament votes in favor of recognizing Palestine

Slovenia recognized Palestine as an independent, sovereign state. The Slovenian Parliament approved the recognition in a special session yesterday by a majority of 52 votes. The conservative opposition boycotted the vote.

What happened in Parliament was accompanied by opposition maneuvers. Just last week, Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized an independent Palestinian state.

Postponement 'unacceptable'

Parliament met in the afternoon to discuss the government's decision to recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. After the largest opposition party submitted a request for a referendum on the issue the day before, it was said it would be discussed but not voted on. Voting must be postponed for at least a month.

The daily newspaper “Delo” reported that postponing the vote is not an acceptable option for the ruling coalition. The parties looked for a solution in the morning that would allow voting to take place in the evening. It was originally said that Parliament must first decide on a referendum proposal before voting on Palestine.

Topic in the European Union election campaign

Recognition of Palestine is now fueling the EU election campaign in Slovenia. The conservative opposition accuses the coalition parties of exploiting the issue for electoral purposes. However, the coalition criticizes the conservative SDS party for allowing itself to be influenced by Israel.

The party of former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, which is considered a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes that recognition of Palestine is premature at this stage and warns of long-term harm to Slovenia. The Social Democratic Party criticizes the fact that the government is rushing to obtain recognition in order to score points in the European elections.

Important for left-wing voters

Some political observers also believe that the government has accelerated the recognition procedures, among other things because of the European elections, in order to mobilize its voters. I originally planned to make a decision by June 13 at the latest. We cannot rule out that the SPD's postponement maneuver will further motivate liberal and left-wing voters.

According to polls, the majority of public opinion in Slovenia supports recognition of Palestine. As pollster Andraz Zorko confirmed to the “Nisenzorirano” news portal, Palestine is an important issue for the leftist political camp. He said: “What immigrants represent in the right-wing camp is what Palestine represents in the left.”