US embassy cable - 04LJUBLJANA265

UNCLAS  LJUBLJANA 000265 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, SI 
SUBJECT:  HEALTH, INTERIOR MINISTERS SURVIVE INTERPELLATION, 
PEOPLES PARTY MAY NOT 
 
REF:  LJUBLJANA 0106 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:  Opposition-launched motions for the removal 
of Health Minister Dusan Keber and Interior Minister Rado 
Bohinc were debated by the National Assembly on 29 March and 
30 March, respectively.  Keber retained his position by a 47- 
28 vote, along party lines.  Bohinc survived by a 46-30 vote. 
The Peoples Party (SLS), a junior governing coalition member, 
abstained rather than following through on its earlier public 
threats to support the interpellation motions.  One LDS 
deputy crossed party lines to vote for Bohinc's removal.  In 
the end, SLS is likely to suffer the most from the escapade. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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Keber 
----- 
 
2.  (U) On 27 February, the opposition Slovenian Democratic 
Party (SDS) and New Slovenia Party (NSi) filed a motion for 
the interpellation of Health Minister Dusan Keber accusing 
him of "apparant violations of legislation."  The motion was 
supported immediately by the Slovenian National Party (SNS) 
and soon thereafter by the opposition Youth Party (SMS). 
Three of the four governing coalition parties -- the Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDS), the United List of Social Democrats 
(ZLSD), and the Pensioners Party (DeSUS) -- stood behind 
Keber.  The Peoples Party (SLS); however, publicly vacillated 
for over a month, claiming it would decide based on Keber's 
responses to the accusations. 
 
3.  (U) The National Assembly considered the SDS/NSi 
interpellation motion on 29 March in a day-long debate 
conducted as part of its regular March session.  Among other 
complaints, SDS and NSi accused Keber of selling the Trnovo 
Hospital at an undervalued price, overspending for MoH 
offices, delay unduly in building a much-needed pediatric 
clinic, involvement in a highly questionable tender for the 
purchase of operating tables for Klinicni Center -- the main 
hospital in Ljubljana, and a poor performance in preparing an 
exhaustive health reform package.  Keber refuted all 
accusations -- some more convincingly than others -- and said 
that attacks on the reform were expected since it changes 
current situation. 
 
4.  (U) The vote at day's end was along party lines and its 
outcome was no surprise.  Twenty-eight opposition deputies 
voted in favor of the interpellation motion.  Forty-seven 
deputies supported Keber's retention by voting against the 
motion.  All ten SLS deputies abstained from voting, despite 
the party's many public hints that it would support the 
interpellation. 
 
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Bohinc 
------ 
 
5. (U) Also on 27 February, the SDS filed an interpellation 
motion against Interior Minister Rado Bohinc (ZLSD) because 
of his "inadequate" implementation of the April 2003 
Constitutional Court decision regarding the "erased" 
(reftel).  On 01 March SNS announced its grudging support for 
the "badly drafted" SDS motion and on 02 March, NSi decided 
to back it as well.  LDS and ZLSD immediately voiced 
opposition to Bohinc's removal, with DeSus eventually 
following suit.  On 22 March, junior coalition party SLS made 
headlines when it announced it would back the SDS motion 
against Bohinc, despite public warnings on the consequences 
of such a decision from PM Rop. 
 
6.  (U) The National Assembly considered the Bohinc 
interpellation on 30 March in another day-long debate.  The 
primary set of complaints against Bohinc revolved around his 
management of various aspects of the "erased" issue.  He also 
was accused of procedural errors in the purchase of a police 
boat, chaotic management of a variety of public 
administration issues (salaries, pensions), and misuse of the 
Ministry's publication, "Slovene Administration."  Bohinc 
refuted all accusations and emphasized that his actions on 
the "erased," however controversial, were in accordance with 
the Constitution and the law. 
 
7.  (U) Again, the final vote on the motion basically 
followed party lines, with 30 deputies supporting Bohinc's 
removal and 46 opposing it.  Of interest, one LDS 
parliamentarian broke party ranks to vote in favor of the 
 
 
interpellation.  Additionally, five SLS deputies abstained 
from voting, despite the party's clear public stance 
supporting the interpellation.  The five announced their 
decision to abstain in a public letter to SLS President Janez 
Podobnik, in which they argued that supporting the 
interpellation would mean violation of the coalition 
agreement and that the party should first leave the coalition 
before supporting the interpellation. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
8. (SBU) Both interpellations were doomed from the start.  To 
be successful, an interpellation motion must receive 46 votes 
in favor.  LDS (Keber) and ZLSD (Bohinc) together have 45 
seats in the National Assembly without the support of the 
other two coalition parties and the two ethnic minority 
representatives who historically vote with the coalition. 
Thus, the two opposition initiatives were intended to serve 
mainly as a podium from which to criticize GoS actions on 
high profile issues causing public discontent -- health care 
reform and the erased. 
 
9.  (SBU) An additional, and somewhat unexpected, benefit 
that SDS and NSi got from the interpellation is the split it 
caused within SLS, with whom they usually compete for votes. 
In this regard both parties might see a slight increase in 
their popularity in the April public opinion polls, at SLS 
expense. 
 
10.  (SBU) SLS seems likely to suffer the most from the 
entire escapade.  While the party could have gained some 
voter support by publicly standing up to LDS and ZLSD on an 
issue of principle, the abstentions now make it look both 
disloyal and weak-kneed.  At the same time, the party's last- 
minute reversal is unlikely to save it from internal 
coalition reprisals.  The betrayal has already occurred and 
the political circles will no doubt suffer the consequences. 
Although SLS won't be kicked out of the coalition, its policy 
influence will be significantly reduced and it will be kept 
out of the loop on any sensitive political strategy issues -- 
exactly the consequences it likely would have suffered if it 
had supported the interpellations.  END COMMENT. 
 
YOUNG 
 
 
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