Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ings were covered with padlocks—part of the recent Europe-wide craze for young couples
to commemorate their love by locking a padlock to a bridge railing. But all those locks put
too much strain on the railing—they are regularly cut off, soon to be replaced by new ones.
Zoran Janković
The latest chapter in Ljubljana's story has been written by its mayor, Zoran Jankovi ć .
Sort of the Michael Bloomberg of Slovenia, this successful businessman transformed
himself into a broadly supported mayor who is unafraid to pursue an ambitious civic
agenda.
As chairman of the huge Mercator supermarket chain, Jankovi ć was famous for
prowling around the front lines of his stores, micromanaging all the day-to-day busi-
ness. After corporate political shuffling forced him out, Jankovi ć turned his attention
to the municipal realm—and, in 2006, was elected mayor of Ljubljana in a landslide.
The people of this city, who had grown accustomed to well-intentioned but in-
effectual leaders who proposed, then canceled, ambitious projects, were stunned by
Jankovi ć 's corporate-minded, no-nonsense follow-through. Project after project ma-
terialized, on time and under budget: the funicular to the castle, several new bridges
(including the Butchers' Bridge at the market), the creation of quaintly cobbled
traffic-free zones throughout almost the entire town center, and the pedestrianiza-
tion of miles of riverfront embankment. The sweeping changes have had their critics,
amongthemelderlypeoplewhocannolongereasilydrivetotheirhomesinthenow-
traffic-free center. Jankovi ć has attempted to assuage them with free shuttle buses.
Ultimately, most Ljubljanans are thrilled with the transformation of their city. It's a
good example of how a progressive electorate can trust a capable leader to wisely in-
vest public funds in urban-beautification projects that benefit the common good.
After winning re-election to the mayor's office in another landslide in 2010,
Jankovi ć turned his sights to the national arena. In the parliamentary elections of
December, 2011, the party he formed—Positive Slovenia—eked out a nationwide
victory. However, some last-minute political wrangling among members of his co-
alition cost him the prime-ministership. Then, after the elections, the country slipped
into the second wave of a double-dip reception; reports of corruption and an unpopu-
lar agenda of austerity reforms sparked a wave of protests nationwide. A government
commission investigated and accused both Jankovi ć and his opponents of corruption.
These allegations swept Jankovi ć 's rival out of office, and a member of his own Pos-
itive Slovenia party—Alenka Bratušek—became prime minister.
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