Slovenia scraps defense spending referendum

LJUBLJANA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian parliament on Friday voted to cancel a proposed referendum on increased defense spending, defusing a political standoff that had threatened to trigger a government collapse and early elections.

The referendum, initially pushed by the Left, a junior coalition partner, was unexpectedly approved by parliament on July 4 with backing from two other minor coalition parties and two opposition groups.

The Left argued that Slovenia, a NATO member, should not boost military expenditures as required by the alliance, insisting funds should instead go to social welfare and public programs.

However, Prime Minister Robert Golob warned that Slovenia must comply with NATO spending targets. He had threatened to call a separate referendum on withdrawing from NATO unless the defense spending vote was scrapped.

Friday's parliamentary decision, passed by 44 votes against 7, effectively shelved both referendums.

Under government plans, Slovenia aims to raise defense spending to 2 percent of GDP this year, up from 1.37 percent in 2024, before reaching 3 percent by 2030. Enditem