SARAJEVO – Slovenia is left without a prime minister‑designate after President Natasa Pirc Musar announced on Saturday that she will not nominate anyone to lead a government, citing the failure of any parliamentary group to secure enough support after the March parliamentary election.
The 90‑seat chamber ended up fragmented, with outgoing prime minister Robert Golob’s liberal Freedom Movement (GS) narrowly winning 29 seats while Janez Jansa’s right‑leaning Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) took 28, leaving both blocs short of the 46 votes needed to form a stable coalition. Golob, after opening talks with several parties, said he had failed to gather the required backing and would lead GS into opposition.
Jansa, a former prime minister and vocal Trump ally, has publicly maintained that SDS is not currently seeking to form a government, though media reports suggest his camp is exploring a coalition with smaller centre‑right parties entering parliament.
Pirc Musar stressed that no group met her demand for written proof of 46 votes during consultations and that a lack of trust and mutual respect among leaders undermined the process.
Under Slovenia’s procedure, the president’s decision shifts the mandate to lawmakers, who now have 14 days to propose a new prime‑minister candidate. If the second round fails, a third ballot is allowed in parliament; only if all three fail can Pirc Musar call early elections.
The prolonged uncertainty raises questions about the country’s EU‑oriented foreign‑policy course and social‑reform agenda, which could be reversed if Jansa’s camp succeeds in stitching together a right‑leaning coalition.