LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), July 12 (SeeNews) – Slovenian citizens overwhelmingly rejected amendments to the Waters Act in a referendum held on July 11, in what is seen as a major blow to the right-wing government led by prime minister Janez Jansa, data from the State Electoral Commission showed on Monday.
A total of 86.6% of Slovenian citizens who voted in the referendum rejected amendments to the Water Act approved by Slovenia's parliament in March that allow the construction of industrial facilities and private buildings on the banks of rivers and lakes, according to preliminary results based on 99.97% of the votes counted, published by SEC.
Turnout in the referendum was 46.15%, with 677,119 votes against the amendments, above the minimum of 343,000, or one-fifth of all eligible voters needed for the legislation to be rejected, according to the official figures.
The referendum was called in May after the Movement for Drinkable Water alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) gathered enough signatures to oblige the National Assembly to call a vote on the amendments. Slovenia's constitution states that 40,000 voters can require parliament to call a referendum on a proposed rejection of a law that it had previously ratified.
The controversy sparked a heated debate in the Alpine country of about 2 million people, with the government saying it introduced stricter construction rules and environmentalists claiming that the amendments to the Water Act are in the interest of private investors and that they would limit public access to water.