EditSlovenia tilts right: Janša set for fourth term as pro-EU liberals lose grip
Slovenia’s fragmented parliament hands veteran Janez Janša path to fourth term after Robert Golob’s coalition collapse
Slovenia’s caretaker prime minister Robert Golob admitted on Monday that his liberal Freedom Movement had been unable to form a government despite its narrow win in last month’s election. The announcement effectively clears the way for Janez Janša, the veteran leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), to attempt to build a right-wing coalition and return to power for a fourth time.
Golob’s party secured 29 of the 90 seats in the National Assembly with 28.63 percent of the vote on 22 March, while Janša’s SDS took 28 seats with 27.95 percent. The margin was so tight that neither side could govern alone, and a month of intense negotiations ended in deadlock. After informing President Nataša Pirc Musar that his party would move into opposition, Golob said he was “looking forward” to the role, a remark Janša quickly seized upon as an admission of failure.
Slovenia heads for difficult coalition talks after razor-thin election result
The collapse has shifted the spotlight to Janša, a 67-year-old politician who has been a fixture in Slovenian politics since independence. He has already served three terms as prime minister and now appears poised to lead a centre-right alliance. Earlier this month, SDS lawmakers backed the anti-establishment Resni.ca (Truth) party’s candidate, Zoran Stevanović, for speaker of parliament – a move widely seen as signalling a pragmatic alliance, even if Resni.ca will not formally join the government. On Monday, however, Janša told the president that his party had not yet secured the 46 votes needed for a majority. Still, he insisted SDS was equally comfortable forming a government, sitting in opposition, or facing snap elections. “All three options are good for us,” he said, adding that the choice ultimately mattered more for Slovenia than for his party.
Coalition arithmetic and the return of familiar faces
According to reporting by the 24ur programme, the emerging right-wing bloc is already dividing up ministries with clinical precision. SDS, as the largest partner, is expected to claim eight portfolios. The conservative alliance of New Slovenia (NSi), the Slovenian People’s Party (SLS) and the Focus party would receive five, while Anže Logar’s Democrats, who broke away from SDS but have now swung back toward the right — are tipped for three. Resni.ca’s five seats would provide external support as “constructive opposition” without cabinet posts.
Several familiar names from previous Janša governments are already circulating. Andrej Šircelj is tipped to return to the Ministry of Finance, Zvone Černač to Infrastructure, and Aleš Hojs to the Environment. Tone Kajzer is in contention for Foreign Affairs and Žan Mahnič for Defence. On the smaller parties’ side, NSi leader Jernej Vrtovec is eyed for Energy or Economy, Janez Cigler Kralj for Labour, and SLS president Tina Bregant — who, like Logar, failed to win a parliamentary seat, is reportedly expecting a ministerial post. Logar himself has signalled a preference for the Interior Ministry over a second stint at Foreign Affairs, believing it would better allow the Democrats to deliver on their anti-corruption pledges.
The numbers add up: the three main right-wing partners control 43 seats, and with Resni.ca’s backing they would comfortably surpass the 46-vote threshold in the 90-seat parliament. Yet the arrangement remains fragile. Golob, upon conceding, branded the emerging alliance a “coalition of fraudsters” that “will not last long,” pointing to Logar’s earlier promise to bridge Slovenia’s left-right divide and Stevanović’s notarised 2021 pledge never to cooperate with Janša or SDS. Janša, in turn, mocked Golob’s relief at entering opposition, arguing that after “chaos, holes in public finances and record taxes,” someone else would finally have to clean up the mess.
A polarised nation and the European shadow
The election exposed deep and enduring fault lines. Golob had campaigned on strengthening public services and staying firmly aligned with EU priorities. Janša promised tax cuts, welfare reform and a harder line on migration. Those policy differences were overshadowed in the final weeks by leaked recordings allegedly showing Golob and allies discussing misuse of state funds. Janša called the material proof of elite corruption, Golob’s camp countered that the videos, reportedly obtained by the Israeli firm Black Cube, formed part of a foreign-influenced operation to tilt the vote.
Analysts say the scandal simply amplified existing divisions rather than creating new ones. Voters coalesced around the two largest parties, squeezing smaller ones and turning the contest into a classic bloc-versus-bloc referendum.
Slovenia’s political drama also carries a wider European resonance. Janša, who openly admires Donald Trump and maintains close ties with Viktor Orbán and Aleksandar Vučić, would re-enter the European Council at a moment when Orbán is preparing to step back from regular EU summits.
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections on 19 April the coalition by former President Rumen Radev, widely viewed as pro-Russian, scored a landslide victory. Bulgarian analysts worry that Radev could now build ties with fellow leaders perceived as eurosceptic, including Slovenia’s Janez Janša, Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Czechia’s Andrej Babiš.
Critics at home and in Brussels have long accused Janša of illiberal tendencies, citing his government’s expansion of executive powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, clashes with public media, and perceived erosion of institutional checks. Supporters counter that his record reflects a pragmatic defence of national interests against what they see as overreach from Brussels.
The broader pattern is unmistakable. Across Central and Eastern Europe, pro-EU liberal forces are confronting nationalist and populist challengers. Slovenia, once celebrated as one of the region’s most stable and outward-looking democracies after joining the EU in 2004, now finds itself testing whether that liberal consensus can hold.
Sources: Siol.net, Slovenia Times, European Western Balkans, Euronews
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Caption: People pose with cut-outs of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former Slovenian Prime Minister and leader of Slovenian Democratic party (SDS) Janez Jansa outside the American Embassy in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia, 20 March 2026. The 22 March 2026 parliamentary election will take place as reports of an alleged covert operation by a private intelligence company to influence the vote have been made. EPA/ANTONIO BAT
Updated: April 21, 2026 - 11:38
