The National Assembly voted 70 to four on Monday to declare 25 October as Sovereignty Day in remembrance of the day in 1991 when the last Yugoslav soldier left Slovenia. The day will not be work-free.
The sponsor of the relevant change to the state and public holidays act, MP Marjan Dolinšek of the ruling Party of Modern Centre (SMC) said the new holiday would be celebrated as day of pride, unity and confidence in memory of what preserved the nation through centuries.
While the lower house was unanimous in its support for the new holiday, opinions clashed over an amendment sponsored by the opposition United Left (ZL) to restore 2 January as a bank holiday.
The amendment was voted down despite support from the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the opposition Alenka Bratušek Alliance (ZaAB).
ZL MP Violeta Tomič argued that the scrapping of 2 January as a public holiday through austerity measures in 2012 was to the detriment of the employees, while it had not make the country any more prosperous.
This was echoed by DeSUS and ZaAB, who reasoned that the impact on the economy would be negligible if the public holiday was restored.
But Ljudmila Novak, the leader of the opposition New Slovenia (NSi), begged to differ, saying the cost would be between EUR 35m and EUR 50m. She said the only thing celebrated on 2 January was "hangover".
Source: The Slovenia times
