SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Slovenian parliament is debating a massive legislative package today, aimed at mitigating effects of the covid-19 lock-down is having on the economy and jobs.

But in what is apparently becoming a world-wide trend, the powers that be stuffed in a couple of provisions expanding police surveillance and investigative powers while circumventing judicial oversight. All in the name of curbing the epidemic.

The Bane Coalition

It seems ancient history in the light of the covid clusterfuck, but it has been less than a week since Muddy Hollows has had a new government sworn in.

And while it seems impossible now, the former PM Marjan Šarec and his successor Janez Janša were actually on the same page for about five minutes, projecting a sliver of a possibility for a cross-party consensus on how to deal with the shituation.

Government Change During An Epidemic

As the coronavirus shit is hitting the fan and the number of cases probably going into triple digits in the next couple of days, Muddy Hollows is gearing for a government change.

*Janša and Šarec sharing the stage (source)*

After SDS leader Janez Janša was sworn in as PM on Tuesday last week, he put forward his list of cabinet nominees. The vote on the entire cabinet will be held tonight and – given the situation – the whole process is expected to move swiftly.

Exit, Cerar

As the parliament started its weekly session today and is preparing for tomorrow’s vote on Janez Janša’s PM bid, the soon-to-be-ex foreign minister Miro Cerar announced he is leaving the SMC, the party that he formed back in 2014 and that for a while bore his name.

*Miro Cerar delivering his statement today (source)*

In a strongly-worded statement Cerar said this is no longer his party, nor is this the party he formed and added it had lost all credibility. Taking a direct swipe at the party’s MPs, he said that they “forgot who elected them“.

Janez Janša 3 (With A Vengeance)

President Borut Pahor officially nominated SDS leader Janez Janša as PM candidate yesterday, after the latter secured the support of NSi, DeSUS and vast majority of SMC, thus claiming a majority in the 90-seat parliament. Pengovsky fully expected the efforts to form an alternative coalition to fail with the clock running out on them, but not for the want of trying. It was just that the path to forming a stable coalition had been so narrow both mathematically and politically, that it just didn’t seem worth it.

However, it turned out that there was enough incentive on all sides to turn enough blind eyes to just about every paradox plaguing this particular political gangbang that a deal was struck just as the first (and crucial) constitutional deadline was about to expire, following the surprise resignation of PM Marjan Šarec.