SDS Leader Jansa Receives Mandate to Form Govt

Ljubljana, 9 November

Janez Jansa, the leader of the centre-right Slovenian Democrats (SDS), has been given the mandate by parliament to form a new government. He won the nomination with 57 votes for and 27 against. "The real work is only just beginning," he told the press. Jansa expects that the government, which he must nominate in two weeks, will be elected by the end of November, after the coalition agreement is signed. Talks about the content of the coalition agreement "have come quite far", he noted.

A recent development in the coalition talks is the willingness, in principle, of the Liberal Democrats (LDS) to embark on negotiations. Jansa told the press that he expects the LDS would reply to the coalition agreement proposal, which he will send to the party on Wednesday, within a week.
According to him, the LDS would not have a different status than the other partners negotiating on a coalition entry. Every party can expect to have a weight in the coalition relative to its election result, Jansa suggested.
Although the vote on the prime minister was secret, it is clear that Jansa was endorsed by the most likely new coalition partners - the Slovenian Democrats (SDS), New Slovenia (NSi), the People's Party (SLS) and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), as well as both minority MPs.
The National Party (SNS), which remains in the opposition, did not say publicly how it would vote, but its six votes would bring the total tally to 57. The SNS has backed France Cukjati for speaker and received one of the deputy speaker posts in exchange.
The Jansa-led government would be Slovenia's eighth since the first multi-party elections were held in 1990; it would be the first since the country joined the EU earlier this year.

SDS Leader Jansa Receives Mandate to Form Govt

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