The initiators of the referendum see the law adopted in July as unjust and inhumane and accuse it of violating the constitution. Voters in Slovenia are expected to decide the fate of the law on assisted voluntary ending of life in a referendum on 23 November. The proposal was published in the working document for Thursday’s session of the National Assembly’s Health Committee, which will prepare a draft decree on calling a referendum.
The MPs will decide on the referendum at an extraordinary session of the National Assembly on Friday, the convening of which will be agreed upon by the collegium of the Speaker of the National Assembly on Wednesday, according to the parliamentary website. The main committee will therefore hold a session on Thursday, which will prepare the draft decree.
The working materials for the committee meeting show that the proposed date for the referendum vote is 23 November, and the deadlines for the tasks necessary to conduct the referendum would begin next Tuesday.
The referendum question would be: “Are you in favour of implementing the Act on Assisted Voluntary Ending of Life, which was adopted by the National Assembly at its session on 24 July 2025?”
The law, which the initiators of the referendum oppose, would give an adult patient capable of making their own decisions the right to voluntarily end their life if they are suffering unbearably due to a serious incurable illness or other permanent health impairment.
The initiators of the referendum, led by Aleš Primac, who see the law as unjust and inhumane and accuse it of violating the constitution, according to which human life is inviolable, submitted a request to the National Assembly last Friday to call a referendum, supported by just over 46,000 signatures from voters.
Aleš Primc is a Slovenian philosopher, publicist, and right-wing politician who serves as president of the Voice for Children and Families party and has led civil initiatives opposing same-sex marriage and assisted suicide laws.
What is the procedure?
After submitting a petition supported by signatures from voters, and if it is complete, the National Assembly has seven days, in accordance with referendum legislation, to call a referendum by decree. The period from the date of calling the referendum to the date of voting may not be less than thirty days and not more than one year. In this case, the date of voting, which would be more than 45 days from the date of calling the referendum, must be confirmed by the National Assembly with a two-thirds majority of the deputies present.
Voters decide on the approval of a law passed by the National Assembly at a vote. The law cannot enter into force until then.
For a legislative referendum to be successful, a rejection quorum must be reached since the constitutional amendments of 2013. This means that a law is rejected in a referendum if a majority of voters who validly cast their votes vote against it, provided that at least one fifth of all voters vote against the law.
In any case, the National Assembly may not adopt a law that would be in substantive conflict with the decision of the voters for one year after the referendum decision is announced.
While euthanasia remains illegal and prohibited in the majority of EU countries, it has been legalized under strict conditions in a handful of member states, including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Finland (for assisted dying), with ongoing debates and proposed bans in others like Slovenia.