Overview
- With nearly all votes counted, about 53% opposed the law and 47% supported it, and turnout of 40.9% satisfied the rule that opponents must represent at least 20% of eligible voters.
- The result suspends the assisted dying measure and prevents parliament from bringing back the same issue for 12 months.
- Parliament had approved the law in July following a 2024 consultative vote, but a citizen initiative forced the repeat referendum by submitting 46,000 signatures.
- The law would have allowed mentally competent, terminally ill adults to self-administer lethal medication after approvals from two doctors and a consultation period, excluding cases of mental illness.
- Prime Minister Robert Golob urged support for the measure, while opposition from the Voice for the Children and the Family group, the Catholic Church and conservative politicians pressed for rejection, placing Slovenia at odds with several EU countries that have legal frameworks for assisted dying.