The new Speaker of the National Assembly, Zoran Stevanovič, leader of the Truth party (Resni.ca), has announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on Slovenia’s withdrawal from the North Atlantic Alliance.
“We promised the people a referendum on leaving NATO, and we will hold that referendum,” Stevanovič stated in an interview with Slovenian Radio and Television.
The politician recalled that organizing such a referendum was one of his party’s key campaign pledges. He also stressed that Slovenia should pursue an independent and sovereign foreign policy, refraining from involvement in the military and diplomatic conflicts of other states where no benefit to the country is at stake.
Zoran Stevanovič was elected Speaker of Parliament on April 10, 2026, receiving 48 votes out of 90. His Truth party positions itself as an anti-establishment force with Eurosceptic and anti-globalist views. Stevanovič has repeatedly criticized Slovenia’s membership in NATO and the EU, while emphasizing that his stance is not pro-Russian but exclusively “pro-Slovenian.”
The Speaker’s initiative has already sparked widespread reaction both within the country and abroad. Holding a referendum would require a corresponding decision by parliament, and withdrawal from NATO itself is a complex and lengthy procedure that, should citizens vote in favor, could significantly alter Slovenia’s geopolitical position in Europe.
It remains unclear when exactly the referendum might take place and whether the initiative will garner sufficient support in parliament.