Janša wins elections, but will struggle to form a new government

LJUBLJANA, (Patria) - Former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša won a relative majority in the parliamentary elections with his Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) in the new convocation of the Slovenian parliament, but is aware that he will have difficulties forming a government, BHRT reports.

According to the results of Sunday's elections, Janša will get 25 or 26 mandates in the National Assembly, which has 90 deputies.

At a press conference in Ljubljana at his party's headquarters, Janša first thanked the voters, saying that his party has a program focused on real problems and that the well-being of the Slovenian people is his top priority.

He stated that the result, with as many as eight parties entering parliament, which will make forming a government difficult, did not surprise him, although some party members expected more. He announced that he would start contacting potential coalition partners as early as today.

- First, we need to wait for the final official results - said Janša.

He added that he expects "some hot heads to cool down," alluding to most of the left-wing and liberal-center parties and their statements that they are ruling out the possibility of forming a government with his party, which they consider far-right.

- We are a party open to cooperation, and we have always been and will always be ready to cooperate for the good of Slovenia and its people - said Janša.

With his pre-election strategy, Janša reduced the possibility of gaining coalition partners because the left accuses him of radicalism, authoritarianism, and anti-immigrant rhetoric, through which he has drawn closer to Hungarian Prime Minister and his friend Viktor Orbán.

Janša added that he sees himself as the undisputed winner of the elections because he received twice as many votes as the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), but also emphasized that he does not completely rule out a situation where, due to fragmented votes and the specific Slovenian electoral system, a left-wing government could be formed.

- Since such governments are not stable, the electoral system needs to be changed - believes Janša.