Politics, / By STA

Trieste - Tatjana Rojc, a member of the Slovenian minority, was elected to the Senate of the Republic in Sunday's general election in Italy. Rojc told the STA it was important for the minority that it had kept a representative in parliament, but noted that her work could be made harder because PD would be an opposition party.

Literary theorist Rojc, who succeeds PD senator Tamara Blažina, ran on the ticket of the Democratic Party (PD) in the north-eastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

She was second on the list behind journalist and editor Tommaso Cerno, who was also elected in Milan, placing Rojc automatically to the Senate despite a historic defeat for the social democrats.

Rojc said it was worrying that exceptionally anti-European forces that oppose solidarity and want to close borders won the election. "It's clear that this is an expression of protest, but it's without proposals how to move forward," she added.

Touching on the Slovenian minority, she fears her work will likely be made harder because it seems that the PD will be in the opposition in the coming term. "It is important for us to have kept a representative," Rojc added nevertheless.

Moreover, she is happy that Cerno has been elected to the Senate, because he is well versed on minority issues and will be an important ally.

Additionally, she believes that minority alliances will gain in importance, because four members of the German minority and one member of the French minority have also been elected to the Senate.

She will make it a priority to secure a seat in parliament for a representative of the Slovenian community, which has had to put great effort in securing the seat.

It will not be enough to only discuss the matter in parliament, a discussion will also be required in the minority.

Jurists will have to be consulted on possibilities to amend the election legislation to facilitate the election of a Slovenian candidate, also because this is envisaged by the law on the protection of the Slovenian minority, Rojc added.

The other five ethnic Slovenian candidates in the elections failed to make it to the Italian Parliament.

Paolo Vizintin in Fabrizio Dorbolo ran on the ticket of the Free and Equal (LeU) party, Giuseppe Prašel and Franco Strain ran for Italy Europe Together, and Enrico Robazza ran for the Power to the People.

Rojc succeeds PD senator Tamara Blažina.