Marko Lotrič currently serves as the President of the State Council (DS) and also leads the Fokus party. The Fokus party, which was elected to parliament on a joint list with NSi and SLS during the last parliamentary elections, is reportedly negotiating a coalition agreement involving SDS and Anže Logar’s Democrats. This dual role places Lotrič in a position where he would perform functions across two separate branches of government.
This arrangement has drawn criticism, with the political group Levica warning of a potential conflict of interest and calling for his resignation from the DS presidency. Levica emphasized that the State Council is constituted by representatives from various professions, economic sectors, interest associations, and local communities, rather than being a political entity itself. Consequently, critics question the impartiality of the State Council’s leadership.
The concern centers on the potential conflict between the Council’s mandate—to represent diverse, non-partisan interests—and the political alignment of the coalition and government, which are associated with Janez Janša. Levica argued that because the State Council is designed as a body representing broad societal interests, its functions must account for all parties’ interests, rather than being solely influenced by the agenda of the ruling coalition.
