A bloc of centre-left parties on Wednesday asked Slovenia's parliament to approve ex-comedian Marjan Sarec as prime minister, raising hopes of an end to a deadlock since elections in June.
Sarec's nomination was backed by his anti-establishment LMS party along with four other centre-left parties, who together hold 43 seats in the 90-seat parliament.
The bloc hopes to be able to form a minority government with the support of the radical left-wing Levica party, which is currently balloting its members over the issue -- the result of that internal poll should be known by this Friday.
In the June 3 election, it was the anti-migrant centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), headed by Janez Jansa, that won the most seats (25) but it failed to cobble together a ruling majority.
Parliament is expected to vote on Sarec's nomination as prime minister by the end of next week.
If he wins that vote, Sarec will then have 15 days to return to the chamber with a cabinet list that also has to be approved by a parliamentary majority.
Sarec, 40, was best known in Slovenia as a comedian and political satirist before launching himself as an "anti-establishment" politician, first becoming mayor of the northern town of Kamnik before running for president in 2017.
After his narrow defeat at the presidential election to incumbent Borut Pahor, Sarec announced his LMS (Marjan Sarec List) party would run for parliament.
A bloc of centre-left parties on Wednesday asked Slovenia’s parliament to approve ex-comedian Marjan Sarec as prime minister, raising hopes of an end to a deadlock since elections in June.
Sarec’s nomination was backed by his anti-establishment LMS party along with four other centre-left parties, who together hold 43 seats in the 90-seat parliament.
The bloc hopes to be able to form a minority government with the support of the radical left-wing Levica party, which is currently balloting its members over the issue — the result of that internal poll should be known by this Friday.
In the June 3 election, it was the anti-migrant centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), headed by Janez Jansa, that won the most seats (25) but it failed to cobble together a ruling majority.
Parliament is expected to vote on Sarec’s nomination as prime minister by the end of next week.
If he wins that vote, Sarec will then have 15 days to return to the chamber with a cabinet list that also has to be approved by a parliamentary majority.
Sarec, 40, was best known in Slovenia as a comedian and political satirist before launching himself as an “anti-establishment” politician, first becoming mayor of the northern town of Kamnik before running for president in 2017.
After his narrow defeat at the presidential election to incumbent Borut Pahor, Sarec announced his LMS (Marjan Sarec List) party would run for parliament.
