The candidate of the Left for mayor of Ptuj is Lina Habjanic

Marko Rusjan, a candidate for the mayor of Nova Gorica representing the Left party, has officially launched his campaign. Rusjan, who previously served as a city council member and later as the secretary at the Ministry of Culture, promises increased communication with residents and local communities to better address their needs. He emphasized the importance of spatial policy, including the preparation of new economic zones and housing, and highlighted efforts to adapt the city to climate change and combat urban heat through improvements to irrigation systems in the Vipava Valley. At a press conference in Nova Gorica, Rusjan outlined plans to manage the legacy of the European Capital of Culture (EPK) by working with public institutions and non-governmental organizations to find suitable managers for sites such as Epic and Xcenter. He also stressed the urgent need to renovate Vile Rafut, noting that funding had been secured three years ago but the process had stalled. The Left party submitted its mayoral candidacy and municipal list today. The Goriška.si list also filed its municipal list, which includes individuals of diverse professions and ages, according to Gabrijel Fišer, a representative of the current Goriška.si council group. Rusjan pointed out that approximately 1,000 citizens of Slovenia who once lived in Nova Gorica have moved to neighboring Gorizia due to housing shortages and thus cannot vote in local elections. These individuals have their permanent residence in Italy and lack voting rights despite working in Slovenia and having children attending schools on the Slovenian side. So far, candidates for the mayoral position in the Municipality of Nova Gorica include current mayor Samo Turel (Freedom Movement), Matevž Vidmar (SD), Bogdan Česnik (independent candidate with the New Drive for Nova Gorica list), and Damjana Pavlica (joint candidate of SDS, NSi, Democrats for Anže Logar and the Coastal Union). Meanwhile, in Ptuj, Lina Habjanič, a candidate for mayor from the Left party, presented her candidacy and municipal list. Key points in the Left's platform include public rental housing, reintroducing participatory budgeting, and creating more space for cultural creation. Habjanič, who was a city council member in the previous term, noted shortcomings revealed over the past four years and stated that her decision to run for mayor was not easy. She pledged to involve citizens more in decision-making, reintroduce participatory budgeting, and provide clearer oversight of public spending. She specifically highlighted the need for improved management of the city’s housing fund in the old town center. In addition to Habjanič, the municipal list includes Boštjan Koražija, a member of parliament for the Left from 2018 to 2022, librarian and sociologist Vera Kozmik Vodušek, retired mechanical engineer and war veteran Vinko Reš, retired professor Lidija Alič, photographer and free artist Miha Tumpej, and philosophy professor Dora Lenart. The party’s program includes improving public transport and cycling infrastructure, making public spaces more resilient to climate change, establishing a public swimming pool, and supporting youth and community entrepreneurship. Five program clusters were presented in recent discussions with Ptuj listens and will be introduced to residents of Ptuj’s neighborhoods next month. In the city council, the party aims to ensure its proposals are included in the city strategy and implemented. Other mayoral candidates in the Municipality of Ptuj include current mayor Nuška Gajšek (SD), Andrej Čuš and Janko Širec as candidates from the Voters' Group, and Nuška Vrabl (Democrats).