Analysis of the 2006 Local Elections in the Municipality of Pesnica with Emphasis on Communication

The motive for choosing this diploma thesis lies in the author's long-standing work in the municipal council of the municipality of Pesnica. He has been a municipal councillor for three terms, and since 2007 also deputy mayor. Time has shown that municipalities which separated from larger municipalities, particularly urban ones, recorded much faster development, especially in the field of municipal infrastructure and social activities. In the political field, there is ever-increasing competition among political parties.

Problem

The motive for choosing this diploma thesis lies in the author's long-standing work in the municipal council of the municipality of Pesnica. He has been a municipal councillor for three terms, and since 2007 also deputy mayor. The concept of local self-government is first mentioned in connection with mediaeval towns.

Throughout the centuries, local self-government has constantly changed, particularly in connection with changes of regimes. With the independence of Slovenia, local self-government as we know it today was introduced in the independent state in 1994, albeit with some subsequent amendments or additions. These changes affected primarily the geographical area, and the powers of mayors and municipal councils were also changed.

Local self-government is increasingly in the forefront among people. People want to decide about their immediate living environment more frequently and more concretely. They want to decide on interventions in the living environment, they want the development of the living environment as a priority.

Therefore, the large number of candidates in local elections is not surprising, nor is the ever-increasing number of municipalities.

Results

Time has shown that municipalities which separated from larger municipalities, particularly urban ones, recorded much faster development, especially in the field of municipal infrastructure and social activities. In the political field, there is ever-increasing competition among political parties. So-called non-party lists and non-party candidates have also entered this struggle at the local level.

If we want to be successful in this competition, we must also know the electorate well – the voters. Through the analysis of the results of the 2006 local elections in the municipality of Pesnica, they wanted to obtain certain answers that would serve as a basis for a quality performance in future elections. A quality, professional performance, knowledge of the electorate, the right choice of approach to voters, and a candidate who is known to voters and enjoys their trust are the basic conditions for success in elections.

Since successful candidacy requires good knowledge of rules and laws, this area was also dealt with in detail in the thesis, as well as the financing of local elections. In the analysis of the results of the 2006 local elections in the municipality of Pesnica, when comparing the results of the 2002 local elections, certain shifts in the electorate were detected. A shift to the so-called right side was detected, whilst support for so-called independent lists fell.

An important factor in elections is also voter turnout, which is significantly lower compared to the 2002 local elections.