Anti-immigrant party sees strong support in Slovenian elections
LJUBLJANA (Slovenia): Slovenians are voting in a parliamentary election with polls predicting that an anti-immigrant party will win the most votes but not enough to form a government on its own.
The ballot is being held a few weeks earlier than the country’s regular four-year span following the sudden resignation in March of outgoing Prime Minister Miro Cerar over a failed railway project.
Slovenia, once part of former communistrun Yugoslavia and the home nation of US First Lady Melania Trump, joined the European Union in 2004. It has been using the shared euro currency since 2007.
The right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party of former prime minister Janez Jansa has seen strong support ahead of yesterday’s ballot, followed by an anti-establishment party led by ex-comedian Marjan Sarec and several moderate groups from the outgoing ruling coalition.
But observers also say many of the country’s 1.7 million voters are still undecided.
The latest opinion polls predict Jansa’s SDS party could get around 25% of the votes. Former satirist Sarec’s list and the Social Democrats are trailing with around 12% each while Cerar’s Modern Center Party stands below 10%.
Since no group is expected to gain an absolute majority in the 90-member parliament, negotiations to form a coalition government are likely after the vote.