An evolution in communications and media landscape interacts with the political changes in Slovenia

The latest comment for the German PR magazin PR Report was provided by Maja Rečnik from GlobalCom’s Slovenian partner SPEM Communication Group. The article was published in the August issue of the magazin (see image). Here’s the English version of her comment:

Slovenia is in the cramp. The mistrust in the government has never been so high, more than 80 percent of people are unsatisfied with the government. Slovenia got a plus three for the first 20 years.

The small country of two million inhabitants has long been regarded as economically sound, it is the first eastern European country that joined the Euro zone. But since the financial crisis, the national debt has grown from year to year. We are now paying also for the bad economic decisions and any possible reforms are causing dissatisfaction. Popular social scientists just commented that traditionally in Slovenia we do not know how to run a state that is because in the history we always had to take advantage of the state.

Slovenia is anticipating a 2.4 percent growth next year. Not enough to cover the growing cost of pensions. We have just rejected the revamping of the state pension system and an increase of retirement age in a referendum. The German financial newspaper Handelsblatt has written that Slovenia is becoming the new problem child of EU. Jean Claude Juncker has called small countries to take drastic cost – cutting and must not increase national debt. Slovenia must now get to grips with problems.

Three ministers have just left the government, even the president of the parliament will follow them and the premier has already announced that he is in favor of elections before time. Probably there will be elections in January. The election battle has already begun.

The sign is that since this week important candidates have begun to tweet as the president of the parliament, presidents of the coalition party and a probable candidate for the premier, president of the main opposition party and many others influential politics. Premier is not twitting. Blogs and twitter have become essential to follow. 140 characters are becoming the centre of the pre election battle. Looks like digital arena will decide a lot of who will be successful in this run.

As media are restructuring and trying to follow the fast development of the technology, so do voters. Public is now empowered and should use the communication tools to develop the civil society, especially young generations can now influence their future more than ever before. The politicians have opened their playgrounds to many. Maybe this is the positive development that we need.

After 20 years of independence Slovenia is finding new ways. The question of the voters is what option do we really have? Who can we trust? The next government will have to make some serious changes, it will to have a vision and communication abilities. Or will it be like the old saying: when the storms stops, things move in the same ways as before. Good luck Slovenia.