Slovenia does not have a clear prime minister after the elections, and the president refuses to grant a mandate without the support of the majority of deputies. The country is entering a tense phase of negotiations.
The first round of post-election negotiations in Slovenia ended without a mandate to form a government. President Nataša Pircová Musarová reiterated that she will grant the mandate to form the government only to the candidate who receives the support of at least 46 members of the 90-member National Assembly, the STA agency reported on Saturday.
- The first round of negotiations in Slovenia ended without a mandate for the government.
- The president will give a mandate only with the support of 46 deputies.
- The elections brought a fragmented parliament without a clear majority.
- The leaders are the Freedom Movement and the Slovenian Democratic Party.
Parliamentary elections held in Slovenia on March 22 produced a fragmented parliament without a clear majority. The center-left Hnutie Sloboda (GS) won the most seats – 29 – but only one mandate more than the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), which has 28 MPs.
The effort of GS leader and outgoing Prime Minister Robert Golob to agree on a coalition with smaller center-right parties was not successful. Subsequently, he informed the president that under the given circumstances he did not want to take responsibility for forming the government.
They are negotiating to reduce the number of ministries
In the meantime, SDS leader Janez Janša said that his party will take the first steps to form a government after discussing the bill on reducing the number of ministries. If this proposal is accepted, SDS will send a draft coalition agreement to the parties that support it.
Media reports indicate that Janša is considering a government with the conservative alliance New Slovenia (NSi) and Anže Logar’s Democrats. These three parties would have a total of 43 seats. The Pravda Movement (Resni.ca), with five mandates, should act as a “constructive opposition”, the STA said.
In the next round of post-election negotiations, parliamentary clubs or at least ten deputies can also propose a candidate for prime minister. They have two weeks to do it. In the third round, the candidate for prime minister must have the support of a simple, not an absolute, majority of deputies. If even the third round of negotiations is not successful, the President will dissolve the National Assembly and announce new elections.
