Slovene president leaves Liberal Democrats for civic movement

Jan 30, 2006 (LJUBLJANA) — Slovenia’s President Janez Drnovsek said Monday he has left the Liberal Democrat party and has formed a civic movement to fight for global justice and development.

Drnovsek, a former prime minister, initially froze his membership in the opposition Liberal Democrats when elected president in 2002. The party was in power for most of the time since the country’s 1991 independence, with Drnovsek as a prime minister. It was ousted from power in October 2004 by the center-right coalition.

The Slovene president’s duties are largely ceremonial, as the Cabinet and parliament hold most powers.

In a statement issued by his office, Drnovsek said he wanted to focus on his new movement and its initiatives for the world’s troubled regions such as Kosovo or Darfur.

But the split with the party also likely was linked to the Liberals’ recent criticism of Drnovsek’s approval for four Slovene instructors to be sent to Iraq.

Slovenia has opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, but the center-right government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa earlier this month decided to send the instructors there. The Liberal Democrats fiercely oppose the decision, while Drnovsek endorsed it.

He had said the decision would please Washington, which could in turn agree to increase its engagement in solving the crisis in Sudan’s Darfur province, where the war left about 2 million refugees.

Drnovsek had a cancerous kidney removed in 1999. He recently said he has “metastasis” on his lung and liver. That indicates the cancer has spread.

Drnovsek has recently changed his largely withdrawn, pragmatic political style, beginning to speak openly about his illness and decision to ignore medical treatment and change the way of living instead.

Drnovsek insists he feels fine. “My travels and schedule prove it,” he said last week.

Monday, he went to Romania, meeting President Traian Basescu to discuss bilateral issues, touching also on regional security and trade.

(AP)