Janez Janša

Janez Janša (born 17 September 1958 in Grosuplje) is one of the most prominent and polarising figures in Slovenian politics since the country's independence. A former dissident under Yugoslav rule, he rose to public attention through the 1988 JBTZ trial, in which he and three co-defendants were prosecuted by a Yugoslav military court for allegedly leaking military secrets — a case that galvanised Slovenian civil society and accelerated the push toward independence.

Janša served as Slovenia's Minister of Defence from 1990 to 1994, a period covering the Ten-Day War of June–July 1991 against the Yugoslav People's Army. He later led the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), which he has chaired since 1993, transforming it into one of the country's largest centre-right parties and aligning it with the European People's Party.

He has served as Prime Minister three times: 2004–2008, 2012–2013, and 2020–2022. His first term coincided with Slovenia's adoption of the euro (2007) and its first EU Council presidency (first half of 2008). His third term included Slovenia's second EU Council presidency in the second half of 2021.

Janša's career has been marked by recurring controversy. He was convicted in the Patria corruption case in 2013 and served part of a prison sentence before the conviction was annulled by Slovenia's Constitutional Court in 2015 on procedural grounds. As prime minister he has been criticised by EU institutions and press-freedom organisations over pressure on public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), and over his combative social media style, including close rhetorical alignment with Hungary's Viktor Orbán. Supporters credit him with strengthening Slovenia's defence posture and Atlanticist orientation; critics view him as an illiberal force within the EU mainstream right.