By: Vida Kocjan, G. B.
As reported, Prime Minister Robert Golob immediately after the New Year holidays submitted a proposal to the National Assembly for the appointment of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food. He proposed a completely unknown MP from the Gibanje Svoboda, Mateja Čalušić, who also lacks any professional experience.
From her curriculum vitae, published on the website of the National Assembly, it was evident that Čalušić served as an administrator and local manager from 2015 to 2022, and additionally as an advisor for plant protection products from 2017 to 2022. Such advisors must be employed by stores selling plant protection products to provide advice to customers on which products to purchase. In the candidate’s resume, it was also mentioned that she graduated from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and completed a Level 1 Sommelier course at the Society for the Development of Beer Culture.
Altered Information
However, just a day after the proposal for her nomination as a minister, the content of Mateja Čalušić’s presentation on the National Assembly’s website changed. Initially, her profile as an MP stated that she held a university degree from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. Later, the description was modified to only mention “Diploma from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana”. This change was not coincidental. Some journalists revealed that the parliamentarian had obtained only a diploma from a higher vocational education programme at the undergraduate level, with no mention of a university education. Information about her actual education is based on data from the Cobiss system. The National Assembly, along with Svoboda (including media aligned with it), began explaining that there was a “mistake in the text entry, which has already been corrected”.
Caught in a lie
Former MP Monika Gregorčič, to mention just one, wrote on the X network that the Public Relations office contacts MPs after their election, asking them to provide information about their education and career for publication on the web. She added, “Do not blame the National Assembly’s PR office now”. MP Žan Mahnič pointed out that it is impossible for “Mateja Čalušić, in over a year and a half since becoming an MP, never once checked the National Assembly’s website to see what was written about her. Therefore, she definitely knew that the education listed there was not hers, yet she did not alert the National Assembly’s services to correct the mistake.”
Lied to voters
The falsified information regarding Mateja Čalušić’s education was not the only issue. The MP had falsely presented herself to voters as well. In the public announcement of the State Election Commission (DVK) dated March 31st, 2022 (elections were held on April 24th, 2022), she was listed among the confirmed candidates for the parliamentary elections as “university graduate agronomy engineer”. It is almost impossible for the DVK to attribute a higher education to her on its own, and even less likely that Čalušić did not notice and demand a correction.
Former SMC MP Monika Gregorič noted that the information in the candidate nomination form for the DVK is submitted by the political party. In this case, the Gibanje Svoboda party submitted it for Čalušić. “All personal data (including education) are obtained from the candidate by the party.” This means that the Gibanje Svoboda did not verify the personal data of the candidates on their lists, and, in fact, they do not even know who and what they are among them.
Shameless explanation
Many expected that, following such revelations, Mateja Čalušić would apologise and withdraw. However, she did not; the ministerial position seems too tempting for her. On Monday, after four days, selected media received a message that she never presented herself with an education she does not have. Shamelessly, she added that “education is not a requirement for the position she holds, and it did not influence her decision to run for parliament in 2022”. She expressed “immense regret that this unwanted administrative mistake occurred”. However, she made no mention of the falsehood in the State Election Commission’s announcement. Considering other indicators, this is likely not the end of the story, and Čalušić is entering into one scandal after another.
Klavdija Markež is a “gem” for the Gibanje Svoboda party
A similar case in the past related to ministerial duty involved Klavdija Markež. She was elected as a member of the Party of Miro Cerar (SMC) in the parliamentary elections in 2014. On March 28th, 2015, following the resignation of Stanka Setnikar Cankar, Markež was appointed as the Minister of Education, Science, and Sport. She resigned six days later on April 3rd, 2015, and also gave up returning to her parliamentary seat. Her resignation was prompted by allegations that her master’s thesis was plagiarised, which proved to be true. Later, she found employment in the private sector. Despite everything, Markež’s gesture was upright and honest. Will Mateja Čalušić of the Gibanje Svoboda act in a similar manner in the face of new revelations? It seems unlikely.
However, the fact remains that the State Election Commission also confirmed that Čalušić lied about her education. Therefore, it would be apprpriate for Prime Minister Robert Golob to withdraw her candidacy for minister, and it would be appropriate for her to resign as a Member of Parliament as well!
