New Slovenia – Christian Democrats Nova Slovenija – Krščanski demokrati | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Jernej Vrtovec |
| Founded | 4 August 2000 |
| Split from | SLS+SKD |
| Headquarters | Ljubljana |
| Youth wing | Young Slovenia[1] |
| Membership(2024) | 8,000 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right[6] |
| European affiliation | European People's Party[7] |
| European Parliament group | European People's Party Group |
| International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
| Colours | Blue |
| National Assembly | 8 / 90 |
| European Parliament (Slovenian seats) | 1 / 9 |
| Mayors | 11 / 212 |
| Municipal council | 286 / 2,750 |
| Website | |
| nsi.si | |
New Slovenia – Christian Democrats (Slovene:Nova Slovenija – Krščanski demokrati,NSi) is aChristian democratic[8][9] andconservative[8]political party in Slovenia. Since 2018, it is led byJernej Vrtovec. The party was formed on 4 August 2000 following a split in the unifiedSlovenian People's Party andSlovene Christian Democrats (SLS+SKD). NSi is a member of theEuropean People's Party (EPP) and in the European Parliament its MEPMatej Tonin sits with theEuropean People's Party Group.
Following the2022 Slovenian parliamentary election, NSi is in opposition to theGolob government.
In July 2000,Andrej Bajuk, by the time Prime Minister of a centre-right coalition government, and other centrist Christian democrats disagreed with the rest of theSlovenian People's Party (SLS+SKD) over the question of a new electoral system. While Bajuk wanted the National Assembly to abandonproportional representation, the SLS+SKD party voted against any changes. Therefore, Bajuk retired from the party and created New Slovenia as his Prime Ministerial vehicle. Other former members of theSlovene Christian Democrats opposed to the merger of SKD and SLS, followed the foundation appeal. In the October2000 parliamentary election, the new party won 8.6% of the vote and eight seats. Thereupon, Bajuk resigned as Prime Minister and New Slovenia went into opposition.[10]
From 2004 to 2008, New Slovenia was part of the8th Government of Slovenia, a centre-right coalition led by Prime MinisterJanez Janša of theSlovenian Democratic Party (SDS).
The firstEuropean Parliament election with Slovenian participation in 2004 was won by New Slovenia which received 24% of the votes and secured two of the seven Slovenian seats.[11]
At the2008 legislative elections, the party won only 3.4% of the popular vote and did not win any seats in the 90-seatNational Assembly. After the elective failure of 2008, Bajuk announced his immediate resignation and retirement from politics.Ljudmila Novak succeeded him as party president.
At the2011 Slovenian parliamentary election on 4 December 2011, it won 4.9% of votes, thus gaining four seats in the National Assembly.[12]
In the2014 European election, NSi ran in a joint electoral list with theSlovenian People's Party, which received 16.6% of the vote and came in second place, returning 2MEPs.[13]
The party received 5.5% of the vote in theSlovenian parliamentary election on 13 July 2014, and won five seats in parliament.[14]
At the2018 Parliamentary election, NSi received 7.2% of electoral votes, which resulted in seven parliamentary seats.[15] The party was in opposition until March 2020, when it entered a centre-right coalition with the SDS,Modern Centre Party andDemocratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia.[16]
NSi'sLjudmila Novak was elected as one of eight MEPs of Slovenia at the2019 European election.[17]
In the2022 parliamentary election, NSi secured 6.9% of the vote, gaining eight seats in the National Assembly.[18] It is currently in opposition.[19]
New Slovenia has taken aChristian conservative position on some issues, advocating traditional social values and defending the position of the Catholic Church on moral questions.[20][21] The party is based onsocial conservatism,[2][20] and has also been opposed tosame-sex marriage and adoption by same sex couples, although it supported and voted for now-defunct legislation that granted limited rights to registered same-sex partnerships.
In economic issues, it is generally liberal, but it defends asocial market economy. It is apro-European party.[20]
In 2019, party leader Matej Tonin announced that the party would reposition itself in the political centre while refreshing its programme, reiterating its stated commitment to social market economy.[22]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 93,247 | 8.66 (#6) | 8 / 90 |  8 | Opposition |
| 2004 | 88,073 | 9.09 (#4) | 9 / 90 | 1 | Coalition |
| 2008 | 35,774 | 3.40 (#8) | 0 / 90 |  9 | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2011 | 53,758 | 4.88 (#7) | 4 / 90 | 4 | Coalition2012–13 |
| Opposition2013–14 | |||||
| 2014 | 48,846 | 5.59 (#6) | 5 / 90 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2018 | 63,792 | 7.16 (#6) | 7 / 90 | 2 | Opposition2018–20 |
| Coalition2020–22 | |||||
| 2022 | 81,794 | 6.86 (#3) | 8 / 90 | 1 | Opposition |
| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Lojze Peterle | 123,563 | 23.57 (#1) | 2 / 7 | New | EPP-ED |
| 2009 | 76,866 | 16.58 (#3) | 1 / 8 | 1 | EPP | |
| 2014[a] | 66,760 | 16.60 (#2) | 1 / 8 |  0 | ||
| 2019 | Ljudmila Novak | 53,621 | 11.12 (#4) | 1 / 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Matej Tonin | 51,277 | 7.59 (#5) | 1 / 9 | 0 |
| Election | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| 2017 | Ljudmila Novak | 54,437 | 7.24 | Lost | ||
| 2022 | Janez Cigler Kralj | 38,113 | 4.37 | Lost | ||
| National Assembly |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Parliament | |||||||
| National parties |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents |
| ||||||||
| European Parliament Group Presidents |
| ||||||||
| European Commissioners (2024–2029) |
| ||||||||
| Heads of government at the European Council |
| ||||||||
