Who runs local government in Slovenia?
Slovenia has a single tier of 212 municipalities (občine), 12 of them urban municipalities. Mayors and councils are directly elected every four years; the next local elections are on 15 November 2026. The Constitution provides for regions, but they have never been created because politicians could not agree on their number and powers.
Republic of Slovenia · Unitary republic · South-eastern Europe
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Regions (provided for in the Constitution) | Not yet established | None in practice; a 2008 bill for 13 regions was rejected in a referendum with 10.9% turnout. |
| State administrative units – upravne enote (58) | Part of central government; heads appointed | Issue documents and permits; supervise some municipal work. |
| Municipalities – občine (212, incl. 12 urban municipalities) | Mayor (župan) and council (7–45 members) directly elected every four years; a supervisory committee is appointed by the council | Primary schools and kindergartens, local roads, utilities, spatial planning, culture. |
| Local, village and city-district communities (krajevne, vaške, četrtne skupnosti) | Councils directly elected at the same time as municipal elections, where the municipality creates them | Small local projects and opinions on matters affecting the area; Ljubljana has 17 district communities. |
Three questions about local power in Slovenia
Are local leaders elected?
Mayors, municipal councils and sub-municipal community councils are directly elected. Supervisory committees and state unit heads are appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
The Constitution (Articles 138–145), the Local Self-Government Act and the Local Elections Act. All the bodies above are formal; informal parish and village associations also exist.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters choose mayors and councils every four years. Ministries check legality, the Constitutional Court can strike down municipal acts, and the Court of Audit checks spending.
Traditional and customary authority
There is no customary authority. The Catholic Church has social influence but no formal local role.
Community and neighbourhood power
The sub-municipal communities are the main hyper-local bodies, with elected councils and money delegated by the municipality. In ethnically mixed areas the Italian and Hungarian national communities have their own self-governing community bodies and guaranteed council seats, and in 20 municipalities the Roma community elects its own councillor. Residents can also call local referendums and join participatory budgeting.
Points to know
- The number of municipalities rose from 147 in 1994 to 212 in 2015; since 2010 a new municipality needs at least 5,000 people.
- Urban municipalities must have at least 20,000 people and 15,000 jobs.
- Councils with 7–11 members are elected by majority vote; larger ones by proportional representation.
- Over 200 of the 212 municipalities share staff in joint administration bodies, encouraged by state refunds of staff costs.
Local terms
- Občina
- Municipality.
- Župan
- Directly elected mayor.
- Krajevna skupnost
- Local community: an elected sub-municipal body.
Sources
- Constitution of Slovenia (1991, rev. 2021), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Slovenia: country profile (territorial organisation, responsibilities, finance), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- Local self-government, Government of the Republic of Slovenia (GOV.SI), checked 14 October 2026
- Lokalne volitve (local elections, including 2026), Government of the Republic of Slovenia (GOV.SI), checked 14 October 2026
See also: Slovenia's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.