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Statement of the President in connection with the non-election of the proposed candidate for the post of Governor of the Bank of Slovenia
Ljubljana, 02/02/2007 | press release, statement
Statement of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Drnovšek, in connection with the non-election of the proposed candidate for the post of Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, Mr Mitja Gaspari:
"I was disappointed to receive the news that Mr Mitja Gaspari had not been elected Governor of the Bank of Slovenia for the next six-year term by the National Assembly. As I already wrote in my proposal, I consider Mr Gaspari a superb expert in the field of domestic and international finance, with wide experience in developing the Slovenian financial and monetary system. His non-election is a very bad sign for the Slovenian and international community, as it indicates that the trend of undermining independent national institutions is continuing.
Whoever thinks that bringing under control financial, economic and public media institutions will secure for themselves firm and lasting governance is wrong. Quite the contrary. A government which is wise enough to secure itself the co-operation of independent and highly qualified experts will certainly enjoy more credibility and acceptability from its citizens. But if it adapts its decisions to its power interests and not to the interests of the state as a whole it bites the hand that feeds it. And this hand is called trust.
In these circumstances I am obliged to propose another candidate. The term of office of the current Governor expires on 31 March this year. The law does not provide for an extension or deputization if by then a new governor is not elected. I will therefore have to speed up the selection procedures in order to avoid a situation where the Bank of Slovenia would be without a governor right upon our entry into the common European Monetary System, when our governor is supposed to participate in the decision-making of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. This time, too, I certainly intend to propose a candidate of impeccable expertise who is at the same time politically independent."
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Office of the President of the Republic
Erjavčeva 17
SI-1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
phone: +386 1 478 12 22
fax: +386 1 478 13 57
gp.uprs@up-rs.si
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