Rules of the Demokratija editorial office for monitoring the campaign before the local elections in the Republic of Slovenia

The editorial board of Demokracija, a Slovenian magazine and online portal, has announced its guidelines for monitoring the campaign ahead of the regular local elections scheduled for Sunday, November 15, 2026, in all 212 municipalities of the Republic of Slovenia. A potential second round of mayoral elections will take place on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in municipalities where no candidate secures a majority in the first round. The election dates were set by President of the National Assembly Zoran Stevanović. The official start of electoral procedures, including signature collection, began on September 7, 2026. Demokracija will monitor the campaign from October 15, 2026, until 24 hours before the election day, following legal regulations, professional journalistic standards, and the editorial policy of the publication. According to the guidelines, the magazine and its website will report on key developments related to the upcoming elections. Articles and interviews with candidates for municipal councils and mayor positions will be published in accordance with the editorial policy. The content, scope, and form of these reports will be decided independently by the editorial board, ensuring impartial and credible coverage. Paid political advertisements will be published with the client’s name listed, and all campaign organizers will be subject to the same advertising conditions and pricing set by Nova obzorja, d.o.o., the company behind Demokracija. The editorial board will also publish professionally conducted public opinion research, clearly stating the researcher, methodology, and client of each study. Meanwhile, Mladina, another Slovenian media outlet, reported that the right-wing parties have been focusing their efforts on the mayoral race in Ljubljana, the capital city. As of Thursday, October 15, political parties had time to submit their candidate lists for the local elections, while the campaign for mayoral elections could begin this week. The article notes that the number of voters supporting right-wing parties in Ljubljana remains a critical factor in determining the outcome of the mayoral contest.