At Stake in this Election: 

On 11 May 2025, Slovenia will hold a referendum asking voters whether to repeal a new law that changes the requirements for awarding special pensions for artistic merit. The National Assembly passed the law in January 2025 to establish stricter pension criteria for artists and eliminate inherited pensions for descendants of artists. Opponents of the law collected sufficient signatures to prompt a referendum. 

Provision 

Are you in favor of enforcing the Outstanding Achievements in the Arts Pension Supplement Act (ZDPIDU) passed by the National Assembly in its session on 30.01.2025? 

Response options: For (Za) or Against (Proti). 

Referendum Text in Slovenian 

ʺAli ste za to, da se uveljavi Zakon o dodatku k pokojnini za izjemne dosežke na področju umetnosti (ZDPIDU), ki ga je sprejel Državni zbor na seji dne 30. 1. 2025?ʺ 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Nataša Pirc MUSAR (since 23 December 2022) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Robert GOLOB (since 1 June 2022) 

• Assembly: bicameral legislature with a 90-seat National Assembly (Državni zbor) and a 40-seat National Council (Državni svet) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The President may serve up to two consecutive terms of five years. 

• The Prime Minister, typically the leader of the majority party or coalition, is nominated by the President and elected by the National Assembly. 

• In the National Assembly, all 90 members are directly elected via proportional representation vote and serve four-year terms. There are no term limits. 

• In the National Council, all 40 members are indirectly elected by and from among members of economic sectors and local interest groups. All members serve five-year terms, and there are no term limits. 

Information for Voters: 

Zakonodajni Referendum o ZDPIDU 2025 / Legislative Referendum on ZDPID 2025 (in Slovenian) 

Key Deadlines: 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; voter registration is passive and residence-based. 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 2,120,460 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 1,692,455 (25 April 2025) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 1,055,680 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Denunciation 6 July 1992 

• Gender Quota: Yes, candidate lists must allocate at least 35% of slots to each gender. 

• Female Candidates in this election: N/A 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 32 out of 90 (36%) in the National Assembly and 7 out of 40 (18%) in the National Council 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.931, Very High, Rank 21 (2023)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 17.6 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 24 April 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 339,274 (2023 est.)