Anti-Immigration Party Wins Slovenian Vote, But Lacks Majority

Former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa (file photo)

Near-final results in Slovenia’s parliamentary elections put a right-wing, anti-immigration opposition party led by a former prime minister far ahead of the field of competitors.

The State Election Commission said on June 4 that with 90 percent of the ballots counted, Janez Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) had about 25 percent of the vote, giving it 25 seats in the 90-member parliament.

Comedic actor and politician Marjan Sarec’s center-left independent list trailed in second place with 12.7 percent and 13 seats.

Three parties -- the Social Democrats, the Modern Center Party of outgoing Prime Minister Miro Cerar, and the Left -- had around 9 percent each.

If the results stand, it would mean no party will secure a majority in the 90-seat parliament and the likely next step is negotiations to form a coalition government. However, other parties have suggested they would not form an alliance with the SDS.

The only party that has indicated it will work with the SDS, the center-right Nova Slovenija, won seven seats, still leaving a potential coalition short of the 46 needed for a majority.

In a televised statement after the vote, the 59-year-old Jansa said his party's "door for talks and coalitions is open" to all other parties.

Jansa previously held the office of prime minister during 2004-08 and 2012-13. He is an ally of Hungary's anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

"Thanks to its [immigration] policy, Hungary is a safe country, while Belgium, due to its wrong policy, isn't," Jansa tweeted recently.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP