Friday, September 14, 2007

Presidential election in Slovenia - part II

This year we are facing presidential election again. Slovenia has democratic presidential election every 5 years where passive and active electoral right goes to all Slovenian citizens of age (18 years).
Passive right (right to be elected for the president) goes to all persons who are able to collect 5000 letters of support evident at administrative units. Exception is that someone could enter the official campaign also by collecting three signatures of MPs and 3000 signatures (letters of support form people) or he/she can be supported by political party (this option is not often in Slovenia because all candidates prefer to be above political parties - despite it is clear which party support individual candidates).

Each presidential campaign we also get one or two "lunatics" and number of self-promoters. However, in 2007 we are facing at least double trouble (next to the some unknown private managers who are probably known in local environment and who drop off even before they start). Both are smart but they have different strategies. First is young (about 24) Matej Sedmak self proclaimed peacehiker who traveled the world without money who started his campaign as some enlightened philosopher - but in fact he is selling his books, courses and himself in general. He is riding the opportunity to get some publicity for his regular activity. At the moment he is short of about 4800 signatures (two months to election).
Second one is middle aged PhD and excentric thinker Artur Štern. He started campaign as a show and lead it as an show. He was making scandals in the row. His campaign was under motto "naked truth" and he brought striptease girl (she was famous from Slovenian Big Brother show that finished about 4 months ago) to get naked at press conference, he was releasing video with distant look of sexual intercourse with the same girl, he was playing some karate tricks at press conferences, selling his letters of support at capital streets dressed only in the towel. However, he was smart and provocative. However, he was sticking to the rules of electoral campaign in general. In last days he removed himself from the campaign and called for last press conference. And told "naked truth" with small team he was preparing the experiment movie with hidden cameras how people react to such campaigning and how stupid and unfair electoral rules for presidential campaign are. He practically showed how any clown can start for presidential campaign and how impossible it is that any one can really enter official campaign without party support (Šteren in fact collected only 146 signatures), All other candidates who already qualified have formal or informal support of one or more political parties.
Despite, many people are angry with Štern experiment when he told the truth, I only hope that the movie will be fun.

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