An anti-establishment Resni.ca leader secured the speakership with 48 of 90 votes. The outcome raises doubts about Prime Minister Robert Golob’s ability to form a coalition within 30 days.
In Slovenia, the Speaker of Parliament was chosen: Zoran Stevanovic, the leader of the pro-Russian anti-system party Resni.ca.
According to Bloomberg, the decision was made by Slovenian lawmakers in a vote in which he secured 48 of 90 votes.
The leader’s party is considered more sympathetic to the prime minister’s opponent, Robert Golob.
“Lawmakers backed Zoran Stevanovic, the leader of the pro-Russian anti-system party Resni.ca, who received 48 votes in the 90-member legislature, securing the position of Speaker of Parliament,”
– report
Implications for the Government and the Coalition
The election of the speaker could significantly complicate Golob’s chances of forming a government.
President Nataša Pirc Musar of Slovenia said she would grant a mandate to form a new cabinet to a leader who can muster at least 46 votes. She now has 30 days to officially nominate a candidate for prime minister.
Golob, whose center-left coalition removed Janez Janša from office in 2022, has yet to form a coalition with smaller parties across the political spectrum.
He needs the backing of at least three parties to form a governing coalition.
In Slovenia’s parliamentary elections, neither of the two main forces could secure an absolute majority of 46 out of 90 seats.
The situation will remain tense, and the process of forming a government is in question.
Formation of a coalition and the subsequent political dynamics in the country point to persistent uncertainty in government processes and the need for new agreements among groups in Parliament.