Voters in Slovenia gave victory to a populist party led by a firebrand former prime minister in parliamentary elections on Sunday that tilted another European country to the right. The Slovenian Democratic Party, led by the two-time former prime minister Janez Jansa, received nearly 25 percent of the vote, according to the country’s National Election Commission. “Those who cast their ballots for us have elected a party that will put Slovenia first,” Mr. Jansa told supporters at the party’s headquarters in Ljubljana after the result was announced.
With Sunday’s vote, Slovenia, a European Union member since 2004 and a user of the euro since 2007, could line up politically with Hungary, which re-elected the right-wing populist Victor Orban as prime minister in April, and Austria, where a far-right party has emerged as a strong political force. Mr. Jansa has closely allied himself with Mr. Orban.
But Mr. Jansa could struggle to form a government as most party leaders have rejected the possibility of joining a coalition with him, raising the possibility of an extended period of uncertainty and a new election if coalition talks are deadlocked.
On Sunday, he called on parties on the left and right to join him in a new government “to face internal and external challenges together.”
Full Article: Slovenia Elections Tilt Another European Country to the Right – The New York Times.
