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| - Political divisions were on display on Friday as rival rallies were held in Ljubljana to mark the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence. While right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa will preside over an official rally in the capital, just days before the country takes over the rotating presidency of the EU, a few streets away thousands of anti-Jansa activists backed by the largest unions and the centre-left opposition held a rival event. Jansa took over the premiership amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and critics accuse him of exploiting the emergency to target media he deems hostile and to corrode democratic institutions. IT student Matjaz Skerjanc turned put for the opposition saying he wanted an end to Jansa's government as soon as possible because of what he called its corruption. "They have been using the coronavirus crisis to frighten people", he told AFP. A woman in her 60s, Sasa Jenko Pahor, said she was protesting "because the constituion in our country is not being respected". 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 takes the EU presidency on July 1, its second time since joining the bloc in 2004. Friday's rallies mark 30 years since the Alpine state, along with neighbouring Croatia, declared independence from the former Yugoslavia. While Slovenia achieved 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 two million population 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/bp
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