Wiretapping scandal in Slovenia: plotted by the opposition?
A wiretapping scandal is rocking Slovenia ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. Videos have surfaced on social media showing people belonging to Prime Minister Robert Golob's inner circle speaking candidly about alleged corruption among politicians in the ruling coalition. An Israeli company with ties to intelligence services is reportedly behind the videos. Representatives of the company had previously met with opposition leader Janez Janša, who has openly admitted this.
No one is talking about corruption
It's not so much the content as the source of the wiretaps that is causing a stir, +Portal laments:
“In recent days we've been listening to recordings of former politicians and lawyers that aren't actually all that shocking. What these government-funded, well-connected so-called 'naive souls' say in the recordings has been clear for quite some time -perhaps even decades - and that is precisely why Slovenia is falling behind. ... Yet instead of holding those in the highest echelons of politics and government accountable for the corruption that has been exposed, we see only a media-orchestrated justification of those involved, because they were allegedly 'deceived'.”
He who digs a hole for others
If opposition leader Janša really was behind the wiretapping he has shot himself in the foot, Dnevnik concludes:
“Although the wiretap transcripts didn't feature any currently active politicians - their names were merely evoked - the opposition, led by Janez Janša, interpreted them as decisive proof of the existence of a 'mafia state' and unimaginable corruption that must be eradicated at any cost. It later transpired, however, that Janša seems to have secured these wiretap transcripts in a highly irregular manner, namely with the help of foreign intelligence services and authorities. ... In the end, he fell into his own trap when he gave voters the choice between the current government and the opposition, which had clearly demonstrated how it would govern.”
What a new Janša government could mean for the country
The right-wing conservative Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) led by former Prime Minister Janez Janša has a narrow lead against Prime Minister Robert Golob's liberal Freedom Movement (GS) in the latest polls. The Guardian is concerned:
“When Janša was last prime minister, his attacks on public broadcasters and attempts to reshape state institutions met with significant domestic and international resistance. Today, the global landscape looks different. The Trump presidency has normalised open hostility towards the media and judiciary, and offered a practical template for politicians seeking polarisation, institutional pressure and relentless delegitimisation of opponents. Variants of that model have since spread and been refined across Europe and beyond.”