- Title: SLOVENIA-POLITICS/JANSA BAN Slovenia parliament expels imprisoned ex-PM Jansa
- Date: 15th October 2014
- Summary: LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA (OCTOBER 15, 2014) (REUTERS) SLOVENIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING FLAGS OF SLOVENIA AND EUROPEAN UNION IN FRONT OF BUILDING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT IN SESSION EMPTY SEAT WITH DESK SIGN READING (Slovenian) "JANEZ JANSA - POLITICAL PRISONER" VARIOUS OF PARLIAMENT MEMBERS IN SESSION SCREEN IN PARLIAMENT HALLWAY SHOWING LIVE TRANSMISSION OF SESSION SLOVENIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT EXITING ASSEMBLY ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) HEAD OF JANSA'S SLOVENIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY PARLIAMENT CLUB, JOZE TANKO, SAYING: "Of course we have announced our obstruction (of the vote), as we have no intention of taking part in this kind of abuse of constitutional provisions, and abuse of laws and procedures." SCREEN SHOWING NUMBERS OF VOTES / PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYING "58 IN FAVOUR AND 6 AGAINST" DOOR TO ASSEMBLY ROOM CLOSING (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) PARLIAMENT SPEAKER, MILAN BRGLEZ, SHOWN ON SCREEN, SAYING: "In line with paragraph 2, article 9, of the Law on Members of Parliament, the mandate of MP (Janez Jansa) is to cease as of today." VARIOUS OF JANSA SUPPORTERS GATHERED IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING DETAIL ON UMBRELLA READING (Slovenian): "FREEDOM FOR JANSA, FREEDOM FOR SLOVENIA" (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) PENSIONER FROM LJUBLJANA, JOZICA FRIDRIH, SAYING: "Nobody can explain to me what he (Jansa) actually did. Many think he is a criminal, but we feel he is a hero, because I think he did a lot for our country. I don't see the reason why he is seen as such a terrible person. I think he is a victim of injustice, as are his family and his voters as well. I think I somehow have to let my opinion be known, and the only way to do that is to come to this protest." (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) PENSIONER FROM LJUBLJANA, TINE ZOR, SAYING: "What we have here is a political prisoner. It's been 25 years since he was a political prisoner, and the same thing is happening again. This thing is a remnant of communism, of some kind of socialism, and we will have to part ways with that (legacy)." VARIOUS OF JANSA SUPPORTERS, CHANTING "JANSA, JANSA" MARCHING PAST PARLIAMENT BUILDING/SUPPORTER CARRYING SIGN READING "WE WANT RULE OF LAW" JANSA SUPPORTER CARRYING SIGN "STOP TO POLITICAL TRIALS" JANSA SUPPORTERS MARCHING PAST PARLIAMENT BUILDING
- Embargoed: 30th October 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Slovenia
- Country: Slovenia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6GXQDGF4HSLWERKBXPY7EHAU4
- Story Text: Slovenian parliamet banned former prime minister and opposition leader Janez Jansa from the national assembly on Wednesday (October 15) because of a corruption sentence he is currently serving.
Thanks to a legal loophole, the two-time prime minister, popular with the country's conservative voters, was elected to parliament in a snap election in July, while already serving his prison term.
Since then, he has been allowed to come to work in parliament and return to a prison near the capital Ljubljana every day.
MPs of Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) decided to leave the assembly before the vote, in protest against the proposal.
"Of course we have announced our obstruction (of the vote), as we have no intention of taking part in this kind of abuse of constitutional provisions, and abuse of laws and procedures," said Joze Tanko, head of SDS party parliament club after leaving the session.
The proposal was eventually passed with 58 votes in favour and only 6 votes against.
Jansa's party had said that the move to expel him was illegal and added they would appeal against the parliamentary decision to the Administrative Court of Slovenia.
Some 500 people protested peacefully in front of the parliament building in the centre of Ljubljana, saying Jansa should remain a member of parliament, but no major protests are expected to follow.
"Nobody can explain to me what he (Jansa) actually did. Many think he is a criminal, but we feel he is a hero, because I think he did a lot for our country. I don't see the reason why he is seen as such a terrible person. I think he is a victim of injustice, as are his family and his voters as well. I think I somehow have to let my opinion be known, and the only way to do that is to come this protest," said Jozica Fridrih, a pensioner from Ljubljana.
"What we have here is a political prisoner. It's been 25 years since he was a political prisoner, and the same thing is happening again. This thing is a remnant of communism, of some kind of socialism, and we will have to part ways with that (legacy)," said Tine Zor, a pensioner from Ljubljana.
Jansa was sentenced to two years in prison in June 2013 for a bribery in a 2006 arms deal. He denied any wrongdoing and appealed the ruling but a higher court upheld the sentence in April, following which he was imprisoned in June.
The planned purchase of 135 armored vehicles from Finnish defense group Patria was being arranged while Jansa was prime minister but was eventually cancelled.
Jansa's conservative Slovenian Democratic Party is the second strongest in the current parliament with 21 deputies in the 90-seat assembly.
Jansa championed Slovenia's drive to secede from Yugoslavia in 1991 and was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and again for a year from February 2012.
His centre-right government fell in February last year, after an anti-corruption commission said Jansa was unable to explain the origins of a significant part of his income over several years.
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