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| - Slovenia's political divisions are set to be on display on Friday evening as two rival rallies in the capital Ljubljana will mark the 30th anniversary of the country's independence. While right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa will preside over an official rally, just days before the country takes over the rotating presidency of the EU, a few streets away anti-Jansa activists backed by Slovenia's largest unions and the centre-left parliamentary opposition will hold a rival event. Jansa took over the premiership as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic took hold and critics accuse him of exploiting the health emergency to target media he deems hostile and to corrode democratic institutions. The official celebration is to be held in front of parliament with Jansa welcoming several of his counterparts from neighbouring countries, including his close ally, nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The head of the European Council Charles Michel is also expected to attend. Slovenia is to assume the EU presidency on July 1 for the second time since joining the bloc in 2004. Friday's rallies mark thirty years since the Alpine state, along with neighbouring Croatia, declared independence from the former Yugoslavia. While Slovenia achieved its independence after a comparatively short conflict, the events marked the beginning of years of bloodshed in the wider region. Slovenian authorities have lifted most coronavirus restrictions for the population of some two million as the number of new cases has dropped over the last month and the economy is recovering faster than anticipated. While being spared the worst of the first wave of the pandemic, Slovenia suffered from a surge of infections over the autumn and winter, leaving it with one of the worst death rates from the virus in the EU. According to a poll published this week by the daily Dnevnik newspaper, 66 percent of citizens are dissatisfied with the government while only 30 percent describe it as successful. Even though some MPs have peeled away from Jansa's coalition in parliament, two opposition attempts to oust him this year have failed. bk/jsk
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