The average annual precipitation is 800 mm in the east and goes up to 3,000 mm in the north-west. The average annual temperatures are - 2 C in January, which is the coldest month, and 21 C in July, which is on average the warmest month. Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities are guaranteed two seats in the National Assembly. Executive power is vested in the prime minister and the 18-member cabinet. The government must be approved by the National Assembly.
Judges exercise judicial authority, and their appointment is for life.
There are district and circuit courts, the high courts are appeals courts while the supreme court is the highest court in the judicial system. The first Slovene Ombudsman was elected in September 1994, and he reports to the National Assembly on his work. The new Constitution significantly strengthened the position of the Constitutional Court. Italians and Hungarians are considered indigenous minorities with rights protected under the Constitution. There are indigenous Slovenian minorities in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.