The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Gunn Marit Helgesen, expressed serious concern regarding proposed amendments to the Local Election Act and urged the Slovenian Parliament to take full account of the principle of electoral stability before deciding on the amendments. The Congress President pointed out that the amendments which would deprive third-country nationals of voting rights in local elections that they have enjoyed since 2002, were tabled only a few months before the next local elections, due to take place in November 2026. Such a change raises serious concerns in light of the principle of stability of electoral law enshrined in the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, which provides that major changes to electoral law should not be made within the year preceding an election.
Furthermore, the Congress has requested an opinion of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) on the compatibility of the proposed amendments to the Local Election Act in Slovenia with European electoral standards applicable to local electoral processes.
