Janez Janša

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Janez Janša is interviewed in preparation for the ICD symposium, May 9th 2012.
Janez Janša
Prime Minister of Slovenia
In office

10 February 2012 – 20 March 2013

President Danilo Türk

Borut Pahor

Preceded by Borut Pahor
Succeeded by Alenka Bratušek
Personal details
Born 17 September 1958 (age 55)

Grosuplje, Yugoslavia

Political party

League of Communists (Before 1985)
Slovenian Democratic Union (1989–1991)
Slovenian Democratic Party (1991–present)

Spouse(s) Urška Bačovnik
Alma mater University of Ljubljana
Profession Politician

Janez Janša (born September 19, 1976) is the former Prime Minister of Slovenia, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia and a member of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenian: Slovenska demokratska stranka, also known by the acronym SDS).

Political Career

In 1982, Janez Janša was appointed president of the Committee for Basic People's Defence and Social Self-Protection within the framework of the youth organisation Alliance of Socialist Youth of Slovenia (ZSMS). He was dismissed early and lost any possibility of employment due to his critical writings on the Yugoslav People's Army.

From 1983 till1986, he was actively involved into political opposition to the communist system via activities in newly emerging pacifist and environmental movements, writing of critical articles for the publications Mladina, Problemi and the Journal for the Criticism of Science, in which he discussed certain politically sensitive topics (political pluralism, conscientious objection, cooperation of the SFRY with dictatorships, use of Slovenian language in the armed forces).

Janez Janša was also the co-founder of MikroAda, a computer company functioning as a technical base for dissident activities, among many other they printed A Working Paper for the Constitution of Slovenia.

In 1988, he was arrested by the Slovene Secret Political Police (SDV) on account of his dissidence. He was detained in custody, tried before a military court without the right to legal representation and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

During the years 1990–1991, Janša was the Vice-president of the Slovene Democratic Alliance (Slovenian: Slovenska demokratična zveza - SDZ). Following the first democratic elections, he became a deputy and later, the president of the party council.

In 1993, he was elected the president of the SDS for the first time. During the years 1990–1994, Janša was the Minister of Defence and he achieved the formation of the first Slovenian Armed Forces, which, together with the Slovenian police fended off the aggression of the Yugoslav Army in June 1991 and proclaimed independence.

Later on, he was the Deputy and President of the SDS as well as the head of the Slovenian parliamentary delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly (NAA).

In 2000, he again obtained the post of the Minister of Defence from June to October. During this mandate the preparation of the second action plan for full NATO membership was made, realistic assessment of the implementation of the basic development programs of defence forces for the period 1994–2003, adoption of a plan for their partial restructuring that was to be completed between 2000 and 2003, and introduction of the right to spiritual care for members of the Slovenian Armed Forces took place.

In 2004, he was elected the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and on 19 November 2007, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia held a vote of confidence called by Prime Minister Janez Janša in relation to the forthcoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and reconfirmed the Government’s term of office.

Janša became Prime Minister again in 2012, following an early election in December 2011. On 27 February 2013, Janša's second government was ousted in a vote of non-confidence, and Positive Slovenia's Alenka Bratušek was tasked to form a new government. On 5 June 2013, Janša was sentenced to two years in prison on corruption charges. The ruling was confirmed by Slovenia's higher court on 28 April 2014.

Education

In 1982, Janez Janša obtained a degree in defence studies from the Faculty of Sociology, Political Science and Journalism in Ljubljana.

Further Information

Janez Janša has published several books and hundreds of articles, commentaries, essays and scientific discussions. He has also published several poems and literary essays. One of his books, Premiki (Movements, 1992), describing the processes which led to the creation of the Slovenian state, was printed in an edition of 55,000 copies, and has been translated into English, German and Croatian.

As a lecturer, a specialist on defence and geostrategic issues, Janez Janša has been invited to several consultations and symposia around the world. He has also spoken at King's College in London, the Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington, as well as at international symposia and NATO consultations in Vienna, Rome, Brussels, Prague, etc.

External Links

http://www.dz-rs.si/wps/portal/Home/ODrzavnemZboru/KdoJeKdo/PoslankeInPoslanci/poslanec?idOseba=P025

http://www.nekdanji-pv.gov.si/2004-2008/en/prime_minister_janez_jansa/index.html

[http://www.ipahp.org/index.php?en_initiatives_the-un-genocide-convention_speech

Interview: Janez Jansa

Interview: Janez Jansa

Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia

Party political offices
Preceded by Jože Pučnik President of the Democratic Party

1993–present

Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Borut Pahor Prime Minister of Slovenia

2012–2013

Succeeded by Alenka Bratušek