The opposition New Slovenia (NSi), Democrats (SDS), and People's Party (SLS) filed Tuesday a motion to oust Interior Minister Gregor Virant, accusing him of "harming Slovenia" with his conduct.
The parties claim Virant's attempt at local government reform, which has not gone beyond proposal stage yet, is detrimental to municipalities.
The proposal "disproportionately hurts smaller and financially weaker municipalities while benefiting bigger ones," NSi president Ljudmila Novak told the press.
Virant is misleading the public about municipalities' debt and generating unnecessary conflict between cities and the countryside, added SLS president Franc Bogovič.
They also accuse him of signing harmful agreements with public sector trade unions, which they say favours members of trade unions by giving them higher jubilee awards.
Virant has decided to have "first class and second class civil servants", said SDS deputy group leader Jože Tanko.
This is constitutionally questionable since membership of an organisation cannot be a basis for paying some people more than others, he said.
Virant also stands accused of promising generous compensation to the erased and for promoting a system of lump-sum compensation payments.
The proposal is unjust to those who had previously sorted out their permanent residency status, according to Novak.
Finally, the trio of opposition parties believes Virant should be ousted for having been awarded unusual discounts for flights with flag carrier Adria Airways.
This is the second interpellation motion against a member of the Alenka Bratušek government after the SDS filed one against Finance Minister Uroš Čufer, and the 32nd so far.
Interpellation is meant to be a means of oversight of the work of the government or a minister, but so far it has mostly been used for scoring political points on hot-button issues.
If backed by a majority of all MPs (46 out of 90), the government or the minister targeted is dismissed.
Two governments as a whole so far have faced such motions (in 1997 and 2004), while the most frequently targeted ministers have been those in change of interior affairs; Virant is the 8th interior minister to face such a motion.
Source: TheSloveniaTimes
