Around 53 percent of residents who cast their votes said they were against the law, according to an initial count of votes. This means that the introduction of legalized euthanasia will not happen in the next year, if the results hold up.
Slovenia's parliament has previously voted to legalize assisted suicide. The parliament passed the bill with 50 votes in favor and 34 against. The referendum came after criticism of the law grew.
The proposed law would have granted mentally sane, terminally ill patients the right to euthanasia if their suffering is unbearable and all treatment options have been exhausted. The law would also have included the right to euthanasia if the ongoing treatment offers no reasonable prospect of improving the patient's condition – but not to end unbearable suffering resulting from mental illness.
