Politics
Ljubljana Municipal Election Media Guidelines Expand Candidate Airtime on Local Outlets
The guidelines require public broadcasters to allocate fixed weekly slots for candidate statements ahead of the October municipal vote, directly shaping how residents in districts such as Šiška and Bežigrad receive details on transport funding and waste fees.
How we reported this
The Ljubljana City Council adopted the Municipal Election Media Guidelines on 2 July 2026, requiring RTV Slovenia and two city-funded radio stations to devote at least 30 minutes each week to unedited statements from every registered candidate for mayor and council seats.
Why the change takes effect this summer
The rules follow an amendment to the Local Self-Government Act passed by the National Assembly in June, which sets new minimum standards for candidate visibility in the three months before polling day. Ljubljana’s elections on 11 October 2026 will fill 45 council seats and the mayoral post that oversees the 294 000 residents of the capital municipality.
Policy analysts note that the previous cycle in 2022 left some smaller-party candidates with fewer than five minutes of airtime on public channels, prompting the National Election Commission to issue the current directive.
How residents will encounter the new coverage
Households in the Šiška district, where monthly waste-collection charges rose by 4.8 euros in January, will now hear candidates address solid-waste contracts during the scheduled slots. Commuters using the city’s 28 bus lines can expect regular updates on proposed route extensions and parking-zone pricing changes.
The legislation states that each candidate statement must reference at least one concrete budget line from the 2026 municipal fiscal plan, which totals 412 million euros. Local advocates note this requirement ties campaign talk directly to line items such as the 18 million euros earmarked for cycle-path maintenance.
Beginning 15 July, the first block of airtime will run on Tuesday evenings at 19:30 on Radio Ljubljana, followed by a repeat on Thursday mornings. The schedule repeats each week until 8 October.
The National Election Commission will publish weekly compliance reports on its website, listing minutes aired per candidate and any outlets that fall short of the quota. Residents can submit complaints through the commission’s online form if they believe coverage has been omitted.