Slovenia’s liberal PM claims win over conservatives in tight election
Prime Minister Robert Golob’s party has a slight edge over his Trump-aligned rival Janez Jansa
Slovenia’s incumbent liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as results put his party just slightly ahead of the conservatives.
Golob took over from Donald Trump admirer Janez Jansa as a political newcomer in 2022, leading a three-party centre-left coalition in the country of 2 million people.
The race was expected to be tight, and foreign interference claims shook the campaign, with authorities probing whether an Israeli company was behind secretly recorded videos suggesting alleged corruption in Golob’s government.
With 99.85 per cent of the votes counted, Golob’s liberal party stood at 28.62 per cent and the conservatives of veteran politician Jansa at 27.95 per cent.
The results put Golob’s party on 29 seats compared to 28 for Jansa, in the 90-seat parliament.
“Since we have received the (people’s) confidence, now we can think about going forward under a free sun,” Golob, 59, told cheering supporters at his party’s headquarters.