Slovenia is a parliamentary democratic republic. The bicameral Slovenian Parliament is composed of the National Assembly and the National Council. The specific social structure and historical development of Slovenia have prompted the creation of a bicameral system comprising the representation of political parties in the National Assembly and the representation of organised social interests and local authorities in the State Council. The Slovenian Parliament is characterized by an asymmetric duality, as the Constitution does not accord equal powers to both chambers.
The National Assembly is composed of ninety deputies, with one representative of each of the Hungarian and Italian minorities. The deputies are elected for a four-year term; they represent all the people of Slovenia and are "not bound by any instructions" (Article 82 of the Constitution). If a deputy becomes a minister, a seat in the National Assembly becomes available to the candidate with the most votes among those members of the same party who had originally not qualified for the National Assembly.
The National Assembly exercises legislative, voting and monitoring functions. As a legislative authority, it enacts constitutional amendments, laws, national programmes, resolutions, etc. It also creates its own internal rules, ratifies the state budget and treaties, and calls referendums. As a voting body, it elects the Prime Minister and other ministers, the President of the National Assembly and up to three Vice-Presidents. On the proposal of the President of the Republic, it also elects judges to the Constitutional Court, the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, the Ombudsman, etc. Compared to other bicameral systems, the voting power of the Slovenian lower house is exercised over a wider range of issues. The monitoring function of the National Assembly includes the setting up of parliamentary enquiries, votes of no confidence in the government or ministers, and constitutional proceedings against the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister or ministers in the Constitutional Court. In order to maintain the stable functioning of the executive branch, a so-called ‘constructive vote of no confidence’ has been introduced, which means that a government can only be ejected when a new one has been elected.
Composition of the National AssemblyNumber of seats (by Deputy Group):
29 - Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS)
14 - Social Democrats (SD)
11 - Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (LDS)
9 - New Slovenia - Christian People's Party (NSi)
7 - Slovenian People's Party (SLS)
7 - ZARES
6 - Slovenian National Party (SNS)
4 - Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS)
1 - Unaffiliated
1 - Hungarian Ethnic Minority
1 - Italian Ethnic Minority
The official website of the National Assembly 
The National Council is unusual among the political systems of Western democracies, as its composition reflects the principle of corporate representation. It consists of forty members, twenty-two of whom represent local authorities; four represent employers and another four represent employees; two represent farmers; crafts and trades, universities and higher education institutions, researchers, health care, social security, culture and sports, and independent professions each have one representative. The Councillors serve a term of five years.
The National Council may propose laws to the National Assembly, and has an advisory role. It may demand that the National Assembly review decisions on legislation prior to its promulgation (suspensive veto). It also may demand the commissioning of a parliamentary inquiry, which, along with its right to suspensive veto, enables important corrective measures for the functioning of a democratic political system.
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