Gibanje Svoboda (GS – Freedom Movement)

EU RANK: 37 (Tier 2: High Performance)

Gibanje Svoboda is a centrist, liberal, pro‑EU party founded by Robert Golob, which won the 2022 election on an anti‑authoritarian, green‑liberal and governance‑reform platform. It leads the current governing coalition, positioning itself as the main counterweight to the previous SDS‑led government’s illiberal drift.

Disinformation and alternative media

GS relies on mainstream media, public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and its own professional digital channels; it is not embedded in a far‑right or conspiratorial media ecosystem. Disinformation‑monitoring in Slovenia identifies the most active fake‑news and pro‑Kremlin portals as being aligned with nationalist and SDS‑adjacent networks rather than with GS. While the party sometimes faces accusations of favouring sympathetic outlets, there is no evidence it runs or coordinates systematic fabricated‑news operations. Disinformation and alternative‑media DMI risk is low.

Foreign influence and external alignments

Gibanje Svoboda is clearly pro‑EU and pro‑NATO, supports sanctions on Russia and aid to Ukraine, and aligns with liberal and green‑liberal forces at the EU level. Party‑financing data point to substantial public subsidies after its 2022 victory, complemented by domestic donations and campaign loans, with no indication of hostile foreign‑state sponsorship. Foreign‑influence DMI risk is low.

Media capture, advertising and public service media

The GS‑led government inherited a contested situation at RTV Slovenija after the previous SDS‑backed management changes; it passed legislation to depoliticise RTV governance by reducing direct party control and strengthening civil‑society representation, a move broadly welcomed by media‑freedom groups. Critics from the right argue that GS still exerts informal influence via appointments and funding, but structural media‑capture in Slovenia remains tied more to long‑standing cross‑ownership and SDS‑aligned pressure than to GS. Media‑capture, advertising and PSB‑control DMI risk is moderate (low‑to‑moderate, coded moderate due to governing power over boards and budgets even in a reform frame).

Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity

GS is a relatively new party and does not feature in the major corruption or state‑capture cases covering 2015–2020, which centred on earlier governments, SDS networks and business‑political oligarchs. Integrity debates around GS focus more on transparency of appointments, the management of state‑owned enterprises and campaign financing rather than on resolved court cases; watchdogs continue to monitor how far its anti‑capture promises translate into durable institutional reforms. Corruption and institutional‑integrity DMI risk is moderate.

Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media

The Golob government reversed or softened several controversial media policies from the previous SDS era and publicly commits to protecting RTV independence and pluralism. There is no pattern of GS initiating SLAPP‑style defamation suits, orchestrated smear campaigns or economic retaliation against critical journalists, although tensions exist with some commercial outlets over coverage. Press‑freedom and harassment DMI risk is low to moderate (coded low).

Dimension	Risk level	Short justification
Disinformation & alternative media	Low	Uses mainstream and own channels; major disinformation portals are tied to nationalist/SDS‑adjacent networks, not GS.
Foreign influence & external alignments	Low	Pro‑EU/NATO, sanctions Russia and backs Ukraine; financed by domestic subsidies/donors without hostile‑state links documented.
Media capture & advertising / PSB control	Moderate	Governing party steering RTV reform toward depoliticisation, yet inevitably exercises influence over boards and budgets.
Corruption & institutional integrity risk	Moderate	New party with no major corruption verdicts but under scrutiny over appointments, SOEs and implementation of anti‑capture reforms.
Press freedom & harassment of media	Low	Has rolled back illiberal media policies and does not systematically harass or litigate against journalists.