National Assembly (Slovenia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Assembly of the Republic of SloveniaDržavni zbor Republike Slovenije |
|
|---|---|
| 9th National Assembly | |
 |
|
| Type | |
| Type |
Lower house
|
| Leadership | |
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Speaker
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Urška Klakočar Zupančič, GS
Since 13 May 2022 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 90 |
 |
|
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Political groups
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Government (53)
Supported by (2)
Opposition (35)
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| Elections | |
| Open list proportional representation with a 4% election threshold | |
|
Last election
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24 April 2022 |
|
Next election
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no later than 24 April 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
| National Assembly Building, Ljubliana | |
| Website | |
| https://www.dz-rs.si | |
The National Assembly (Slovene: Državni zbor Republike Slovenije) is Slovenia's main law-making body. It is a big part of the Slovenian Parliament. This group helps make the rules and laws for the country.
It has 90 members, called MPs, who are chosen for a four-year term. Most MPs are elected based on how many votes their political party gets. Two special members are chosen by the Hungarian and Italian-speaking minority groups. These two members can stop laws that affect their communities.
As of May 2022, the 9th National Assembly of Slovenia is working.
Contents
How Laws Are Made
Anyone can suggest a new law to the National Assembly. This includes:
- The Government
- Any member of the National Assembly (an MP)
- The National Council (another part of the Slovenian Parliament)
- 5,000 regular voters
When a new law idea is suggested, the Speaker of the National Assembly shares it with all the MPs.
There are three main ways a law can be passed:
- The normal way (regular procedure)
- A faster way (abbreviated procedure)
- A very fast way (urgent procedure)
Most laws need more than half of the MPs present to vote "yes." But for very important laws, like those about elections or changing the country's main rules (the Constitution), at least 60 out of 90 MPs must vote "yes."
The Normal Way to Pass a Law
First Step: Introduction
The first step is simply sharing the law idea with all MPs. Sometimes, if at least ten MPs ask, they will have a meeting to talk about why the law is needed. If they have this meeting, they vote on whether the law idea is good enough to keep working on.
The Speaker then chooses a special group of MPs to study the law idea more closely. Other groups can also discuss it, but they don't vote on it.
Second Step: Detailed Discussion
In the second step, the special group of MPs discusses the law idea in detail. They can suggest changes to the law. They then write a report about the law, which is used for the main meeting of all MPs.
When all MPs meet, they only discuss and vote on the parts of the law that the special group changed. Both the special group and all MPs can decide that the law idea is not good enough to continue.
Third Step: Final Vote
In the third and final step, the special group and all MPs vote on the entire law idea. If it gets enough "yes" votes, the law is sent to the President of Slovenia to sign. Once signed, it becomes a real law.
The Faster Way to Pass a Law
This faster way skips the first step of the normal process. The second and third steps happen during the same meeting.
This method is used for laws that:
- Deal with small or simple issues.
- Get rid of an old law.
- Help Slovenia's laws match rules from the European Union.
- Change how the Constitutional Court works.
The Very Fast Way to Pass a Law
Laws can be passed very quickly if they are super important for the country's safety or defense. This method is also used to help after natural disasters or to stop big problems from happening.
Like the faster way, it skips the first step. The second and third steps happen in one meeting. MPs can even suggest changes to the law by just speaking them out loud. Everything happens much quicker.
Asking for a New Vote
After the National Assembly passes a law, the National Council (another part of the parliament) can ask them to vote on it again. If this happens, the law needs even more "yes" votes to pass the second time.
Leaders of the National Assembly
The leader of the National Assembly is called the Speaker. The Speaker helps guide the meetings and makes sure everything runs smoothly. Many different people have been Speaker over the years. The current Speaker is Urška Klakočar Zupančič.
How Members Are Chosen
The 90 members of the National Assembly are chosen in two ways.
- 88 members are elected using a system called open list proportional representation. This means people vote for a party, and the party gets a number of seats based on how many votes they receive. Slovenia is divided into eight large areas, and each area elects 11 members. To make sure smaller parties don't get too many seats, a party needs at least 4% of the votes to get any seats. Also, political parties must make sure that at least 35% of the people on their lists are of each gender.
- 2 members are elected by the Italian and Hungarian minority groups. These groups have their own special elections to choose their representatives. Voters rank the candidates they like best. The candidate with the most points wins.
Latest Election
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Past National Assemblies
- 1st National Assembly
- 2nd National Assembly
- 3rd National Assembly
- 4th National Assembly
- 5th National Assembly
- 6th National Assembly
- 7th National Assembly
- 8th National Assembly
Members of Past Assemblies
- List of members of the 1st National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 2nd National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 3rd National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 4th National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 5th National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 6th National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 7th National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
- List of members of the 8th National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
Images for kids
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The Slovenian anthem text in the lobby of the National Assembly building.
See also
In Spanish: Asamblea Nacional de Eslovenia para niños
