Jernej Vrtovec

Jernej Vrtovec (born on 25 May 1985) graduated from the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana with a diploma thesis entitled Archbishop Šuštar and Slovenia's Independence.

He began his political career in 2003 when he joined the New Slovenia – Christian Democrats (NSi) and became actively engaged at the local level. He continued his political engagement in Young Slovenia – the youth section of the NSi, where he served as Secretary-General and was elected President of Young Slovenia in 2009. He chaired the party’s youth section until 2015. Over that period, he and his peers successfully completed a number of activities relating to youth and students. From 2009 to 2014, he served as NSi’s public relations officer. He was elected as Deputy to the National Assembly in 2014 and re-elected in the 2018, 2022 and 2026 elections. Since September 2025, he has been President of New Slovenia – Christian Democrats.

At the beginning of 2019, he put forward an initiative to establish a parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the operations of the Bank Assets Management Company (DUTB). When the Commission was established with broad support from other deputies, he assumed its chairmanship.

Upon the formation of the 14th Government of the Republic of Slovenia on 13 March 2020, he was appointed Minister of Infrastructure. His term of office was marked by the launch of the process of introducing electronic vignettes and by extensive investments in national infrastructure and energy, including, among other projects, construction works on the northern section of the Third Development Axis, the Divača–Koper second railway track, and the construction of the second tube of the Karavanke Tunnel. A ban on overtaking for freight vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes was also introduced. In 2021, under his leadership, the Ministry issued an energy permit for Unit 2 of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant.

During the 2022–2026 parliamentary term, he chaired the Commission for Public Finance Control in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

In 2016 he wrote a book entitled Vloga nadškofa Šuštarja pri slovenski osamosvojitvi (The Role of Archbishop Šuštar in the Process of Slovenia's Independence), which was also the subject of his diploma thesis.