Gregor Virant, President of the Civic list, explained that presidents of the coalition parties gave their support to the project for reorganisation of municipalities; the number of those should not exceed 120.

According to the proposal prepared by Virant, municipalities should not have less than 5,000 inhabitants, which would result in approximately 120 municipalities instead 212 we have at the moment. The explanation was given at the occasion of the coalition meeting, and next he will try to get the support of the members of parliament. Virant again stressed that the reorganisation project is very useful, and urgently needed.

The problems regarding staffing within state-owned companies were placed on the coalition table. Although the presidents of the coalition parties passed no definite solutions, on principle they agree that political parties should completely abstain from nomination of supervisors.

Slovenian Democratic Party SDS stressed the will of residents expressed by referendum
The parliamentary group of the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party expressed their dissent with Virant's proposal. According to them the coalition lacks ideas, and instead of looking for a way out of crisis, and taking other necessary measures, it occupies itself with reduction of number of municipalities based on flawed criteria. As Tomaž Lisec, the member of parliament, affirmed during the press conference, SDS is opposed to abolition of all municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. It would also mean inadmissible intervention against the will of residents expressed by referendum.

"Attack on countryside "
Slovenian Democratic Party considers municipalities a very important part for the uniform regional development, and believe that a number of small and medium size municipalities function more rationally than the state. The jurisdiction of municipalities should be given more jurisdiction, if not even all momentarily in possession of Administrative units, said Lisec.

With this day Minister Virant became the "antilocal minister", and his move is characterized "an attack on countryside ", concluded the SDP member of parliament. They consider "the erasure of municipalities" inadmissible, and do not consider it rationalisation of functioning of the state, but just the opposite.

Slovenian Democratic Party counted 112 municipalities to be abolished, according to said criterion.

New Slovenia (NSi): A likable measure with no positive effects
NSi stressed that municipalities are the main driving power of uniform regional development. Often they are the sole investor into infrastructure, and support the local civil organisations. Abolishment of municipalities would therefore have a negative effect on society as a whole, and not only on institutions, warned Matej Tonin, head of the party's parliamentary group.

He reminded that municipalities were created based on the will of residents expressed by referendum. As a Democrat, the only acceptable option for abolishing them would be new referendums.

If the government considers the cost of local self-government too high, he indicated other "much better and more refined measures", the first being the introduction of joint municipal administrations, and the second reduction of poll taxes the municipalities receive from the state.

Therefore NSi asks the government to disregard this plan, and thus prevent "unnecessary conflicts and disappointments " which would steal energy needed for solutions of other, more urgent problems.