The Supreme Court reiterated the position of the Constitutional Court, stressing that parts of the referendum act and the so-called Act on the Construction and Management of the Second Railway Track of the Divača to Koper Railway Line are unconstitutional. The Supreme Court said that the government’s decision to spend 97,000 euros on the referendum campaign was “unacceptable because the campaign only highlighted the positive aspects of the second rail track act.”

“The Supreme Court acknowledges there are upsides to the bill, but we can’t deny that it also poses major risks,” said Erik Kerševan, the Supreme Court’s rapporteur. Moreover, the arguments of the opponents were not presented in the same way as the arguments of the proponents.

Vili Kovačič, the pensioner who lodged the appeal against the referendum result, said he “kind of expected” the annulment of the result, stressing that he knew the judges would understand his arguments. He also said that he’s now waiting for the date of the repeat referendum to be set.

Kovačič believes that the repeat referendum should be held on a general election day. “Slovenia will hold two elections this year, and only fools would hold the referendum on a separate day to the elections,” he said.