Gregor Virant
Encyclopedia
Gregor Virant is a Slovenia
n politician
and public servant. He is heading the Gregor Virant's Civic List
, a liberal political party, established in October 2011, as a civic list to compete on the 2011 Slovenian parliamentary election
.
Virant was born in Ljubljana
. He studied law at the University of Ljubljana
and at Glasgow Caledonian University
. Between 1995 and 1999, he worked as a legal adviser to the Constitutional Court of Slovenia. In 2000, he was appointed secretary-general at the Ministry of Interior (led by Peter Jambrek
) in the short lived centre-right government of Andrej Bajuk
. He also remained in office during the centre-left
governments of Janez Drnovšek
and Anton Rop
. During that period, he was one of the authors of the reform of public administration, which introduced the professionalization and de-politicization of public offices, which was supported also by the main opposition party, the Slovenian Democratic Party.
Virant resigned from office shortly before the 2004 parliamentary elections
, in which he ran as a candidate for the Slovenian National Assembly on the list of the Slovenian Democratic Party
.
After the electoral victory of the Slovenian Democratic Party in 2004, Virant became the head of the newly created Ministry of Public Administration in the government led by Janez Janša
. He launched a thorough reform of the public service in Slovenia, which included modernization and economizing of the service. In the last years of Janša's government, Virant frequently ranked as the most popular minister and one of the most popular politicians in Slovenia.
After the 2008 parliamentary elections, in which the Slovenian Democratic Party lost to the left-wing coalition headed by the Social Democrat
leader Borut Pahor
, Virant was replaced as minister by Irma Pavlinič Krebs of the Zares
party.
In December 2008, Virant was elected chairman of the Rally for the Republic , a civic platform founded in 2004 to promote classical liberal, patriotic, republican, and liberal-conservative values in Slovenian public life. Between 2009 and 2011, he was also member of the Council of Experts of the Slovenian Democratic Party, the main opposition party's shadow government
.
In October 2011, he announced he would run for parliament in the Slovenian parliamentary election of 2011
on an independent ticket. According to an opinion poll released soon after the announcement, Virant was seen as the most appropriate choice for prime minister by the plurality of voters. On October 21, 2011, the Gregor Virant's Civic List
was officially chartered as a political party.
Virant is married and has two sons a nine year old Benjamin and a eighteen year old David who both seemingly despite their father"s choice of steping into politics . He is the son-in-law of the politician Miha Brejc, and brother-in-law of the photographer Tomo Brejc. His cousin, Mija Janković is married to the mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković
, president of the Positive Slovenia
party.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and public servant. He is heading the Gregor Virant's Civic List
Gregor Virant's Civic List
Gregor Virant's Civic List is a classical liberal political party in Slovenia, led by Gregor Virant.Virant, former Minister of Public Administration in Janez Janša's government between 2004–2008 and chairman of the civil platform Rally for the Republic announced on 10 October 2011, that he would...
, a liberal political party, established in October 2011, as a civic list to compete on the 2011 Slovenian parliamentary election
Slovenian parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election for the 90 deputies to the National Assembly of Slovenia will be held on 4 December 2011. This will be the first early election in Slovenia's history.-Background:...
.
Virant was born in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. He studied law at the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
and at Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
. Between 1995 and 1999, he worked as a legal adviser to the Constitutional Court of Slovenia. In 2000, he was appointed secretary-general at the Ministry of Interior (led by Peter Jambrek
Peter Jambrek
Peter Jambrek is a Slovenian sociologist, jurist, politician and intellectual. He is considered among the fathers of the current Slovenian Constitution and among the most influential public intellectuals in Slovenia....
) in the short lived centre-right government of Andrej Bajuk
Andrej Bajuk
Andrej Bajuk, also known in Spanish as Andrés Bajuk was a Slovene politician and economist. He served shortly as Prime Minister of Slovenia in the year 2000, and Minister of Economy in the centre right government of Janez Janša between 2004 and 2008...
. He also remained in office during the centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
governments of Janez Drnovšek
Janez Drnovšek
Janez Drnovšek was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Prime Minister of Slovenia and President of Slovenia . He was born in Celje, Slovenia, then the Socialist Republic of Slovenia...
and Anton Rop
Anton Rop
Anton Rop is a Slovenian politician. He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Slovenia. He was the fourth Prime Minister of Slovenia, from 2002 to 2004. Until 2005 he was also the president of the Liberal Democratic Party , the legal successor of the Slovenian Association of Socialist...
. During that period, he was one of the authors of the reform of public administration, which introduced the professionalization and de-politicization of public offices, which was supported also by the main opposition party, the Slovenian Democratic Party.
Virant resigned from office shortly before the 2004 parliamentary elections
Slovenian parliamentary election, 2004
-Delegation of Socialni demokrati [United List of Social Democrats]:-Delegation of Liberalna demokracija Slovenije [Liberal Democracy of Slovenia]:-Delegation of Nova Slovenija [New Slovenia]:...
, in which he ran as a candidate for the Slovenian National Assembly on the list of the Slovenian Democratic Party
Slovenian Democratic Party
The Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party...
.
After the electoral victory of the Slovenian Democratic Party in 2004, Virant became the head of the newly created Ministry of Public Administration in the government led by Janez Janša
Janez Janša
Janez Janša is a Slovenian politician who was Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2004 to November 2008. He has also been President of the Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993...
. He launched a thorough reform of the public service in Slovenia, which included modernization and economizing of the service. In the last years of Janša's government, Virant frequently ranked as the most popular minister and one of the most popular politicians in Slovenia.
After the 2008 parliamentary elections, in which the Slovenian Democratic Party lost to the left-wing coalition headed by the Social Democrat
Social Democrats (Slovenia)
The Social Democrats is a centre-left political party in Slovenia, currently led by Borut Pahor. From 1993 until 2005, the party was known as the United List of Social Democrats .-Origins:...
leader Borut Pahor
Borut Pahor
Borut Pahor is a Slovenian politician who has been Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2008. A longtime president of the Social Democrats party, Pahor served several terms as a member of the National Assembly and was its chairman from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Pahor was elected as member of the European...
, Virant was replaced as minister by Irma Pavlinič Krebs of the Zares
Zares
Zares – Social Liberals is a social-liberal political party in Slovenia. Its president is Gregor Golobič, former Secretary General of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia and former close advisor to the late Janez Drnovšek, who had previously abandoned active political involvement due to...
party.
In December 2008, Virant was elected chairman of the Rally for the Republic , a civic platform founded in 2004 to promote classical liberal, patriotic, republican, and liberal-conservative values in Slovenian public life. Between 2009 and 2011, he was also member of the Council of Experts of the Slovenian Democratic Party, the main opposition party's shadow government
Shadow government
Shadow government may refer to:*An opposition government in a parliamentary system, see Shadow Cabinet*A term for plans for an emergency government that takes over in the event of a disaster, see continuity of government...
.
In October 2011, he announced he would run for parliament in the Slovenian parliamentary election of 2011
Slovenian parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election for the 90 deputies to the National Assembly of Slovenia will be held on 4 December 2011. This will be the first early election in Slovenia's history.-Background:...
on an independent ticket. According to an opinion poll released soon after the announcement, Virant was seen as the most appropriate choice for prime minister by the plurality of voters. On October 21, 2011, the Gregor Virant's Civic List
Gregor Virant's Civic List
Gregor Virant's Civic List is a classical liberal political party in Slovenia, led by Gregor Virant.Virant, former Minister of Public Administration in Janez Janša's government between 2004–2008 and chairman of the civil platform Rally for the Republic announced on 10 October 2011, that he would...
was officially chartered as a political party.
Virant is married and has two sons a nine year old Benjamin and a eighteen year old David who both seemingly despite their father"s choice of steping into politics . He is the son-in-law of the politician Miha Brejc, and brother-in-law of the photographer Tomo Brejc. His cousin, Mija Janković is married to the mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković
Zoran Jankovic
Zoran Janković may refer to:*Zoran Janković , footballer*Zoran Janković , formerly chair of Mercator retail chain, and currently mayor of Ljubljana...
, president of the Positive Slovenia
Positive Slovenia
Positive Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-left political party, led by Zoran Janković.On 11 October 2011, Janković, the mayor of Ljubljana, announced that he would participate at the early parliamentary election, following the fall of the government of Borut Pahor. The charter of the new party was...
party.