Slovenia’s Nationalist Leader Wins Faster Passage of Crisis Laws

(Bloomberg) -- Slovenia’s parliament banned people who oppose legislation from delaying crisis laws via referendums, accelerating the government’s ability to fight the coronavirus.

Lawmakers approved the bill on Tuesday despite concerns from some opposition members that nationalist Prime Minister Janez Jansa may leverage the faster process to consolidate power. He’s a vocal admirer of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban, who won the right to lead his country solely by decree last week.

The legislation follows the prolonged discussion over a 3 billion-euro ($3.3 billion) anti-virus stimulus package approved last week. Jansa has repeatedly demanded the power to speed up passing laws to confront the health and economic challenges in the euro-area nation of 2.1 million people.

Before the law’s passage, crisis legislation could be sidetracked for months by the referendum requirement, a tactic the prime minister’s party repeatedly used while in opposition.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.