After a campaign marked by allegations of corruption and foreign interference, liberal incumbent Robert Golob is narrowly leading conservative Janez Janša after Slovenia’s parliamentary vote on Sunday.
According to the State Election Commission, Prime Minister Golob’s centre-left Freedom Movement won 28.62 per cent of the votes while the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) leader Janez Janša won 28.1 per cent of the votes after about 99 per cent of the ballots were accounted for.
The NSi, with SLS and Fokus party came third with 9.29 percent of the vote, followed by the Social Democrats (6.70), Democrats (6.70), Levica (5.58) and Resni.ca (5.53).
The tight result between the frontrunners means none of the main parties will hold a majority in the 90-member parliament. Instead, whoever will form an eventual government will depend on the smaller parties that will act as decision-makers.
In a speech after results were released, Golob said he was confident his party will shape the government but also mentioned that “tough negotiations lie ahead.”
“In this next term we will do everything to make sure this future [is] better for everyone, [for] all citizens,” Golob said in Slovenian at the election headquarters in Cvetličarna.
“But there is one thing we will not argue about, our sovereignty,” he said. “We will not let foreigners rule here.”
This comes after an election campaign that was roiled by claims, first made by journalists and activists, that a series of hidden video recordings showing alleged government-tied corruption, in an effort to sway voters.
Top officials have launched an investigation into the allegations that Jansa’s party and the Israeli private spy firm Black Cube were involved in the recordings. But in the week leading up the election he had admitted to having contacts with an adviser of the firm but denied the allegations of interference, according to an article written by Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV SLO) on March 19.
As the numbers stand the Freedom Movement will receive 29 seats, with SDS trailing at 28, the NSi, with SLS and Fokus party at nine, while the Social Democrats and the Democrats will have six each and the Levica and Vesna party at five. To have a majority, a party needs to reach the threshold of 45 seats.
Protest broke out onto the streets of Slovenia
Just days before the vote, a pre-election protest was organized by the Voice of the People (Glas Ljudstva) and No Fear (Brez Strahu) initiatives and the March 8 Institute in Ljubljana’s Republic Square (Trg Republike), on March 20.
The protest was created to call for participation amongst young voters in Sunday’s election, who have been apathetic about Slovenian politics in recent elections.
The protesters walked from the square along Slovenska Street to the Ministry of Health before heading to the U.S. Embassy where they were met by heavy police presence. There they expressed their opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, who launched the attacks on Iran in alliance with Israel, criticized the ongoing genocide in Palestine and advocated for peace.
Žiga Bonča, a Slovenian news journalist who primarily reports on politics with Televizija Slovenija (TV SLO), one sector of the country’s national public broadcasting organization Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO), said the main difference between the parties is their “attitudes of the policies between the U.S. and Israel.”
Bonča said left-wing parties believe Slovenia’s official recognition of Palestine is “of exceptional importance,” while right-wing parties “opposed it or, more precisely, obstructed the parliamentary session.”
“Center-left parties are highly critical of Israel’s actions in the Middle East, while center-right parties - especially SDS - maintain strong relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” he said.
“SDS also has good relations with the American Republican Party, and some of its members attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump in the United States,” Bonča said. (You can read Humber Et Cetera's full conversation with him here.)
The rally was also attended by many famous individuals, including the first President of Slovenia Milan Kučan, former Ljubljana Mayor Vika Potočnik, and the former Minister of Culture Majda Širca among others.
When would results be finalized
In an article on Sunday, RTV SLO said mail-in ballots will be counted the following day, while votes cast abroad to be counted on March 30.
As of 1:15 p.m. local time Monday mail-in ballots from Slovenia have been counted. With these votes included the Freedom Movement party and Prime Minister Robert Golob now hold a 7,951-vote lead over Janez Janša and SDS.
However, because a voter or party can still object three days after election day, and there are still votes from abroad to be accounted for, the State Election Commission will release the official results by April 7.
