In Slovenian parliamentary elections, the newly founded freedom movement (Gibanje Svoboda) won a landslide victory, according to a post-election poll published by the television channel RTV Slovenija after the election closed on Sunday night. As a result, former top manager Robert Golob’s move reached nearly 36% of the vote. According to the survey, Jansa’s SDS ranked second with less than 23%. Jansa thus missed the goal of a fourth term.
Immediately after the end of the election, the vice president of the SDS, Ales Hojs, admitted the defeat of the hitherto largest parliamentary party. “We have to congratulate the relative winner of the election,” Hojs said. “Apparently people have put their faith in a new face again,” he said, referring to the former head of Slovenia’s biggest energy supply company, Gen-I, Robert Golob, who only entered Slovenian politics in January. . His deputy Marta Kos was initially “surprised” by the result, which was not expected to be so clear.
Christian Wehrschütz from Ljubljana
In an early analysis of the election result, Wehrschütz emphasizes that it was less an election for the winner and career changer Robert Golob than one against right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
expected tight race
Indeed, the most recent polls released ahead of election day showed a fierce contest between the freedom movement and the SDS. According to the post-election survey, only three other parties made it to parliament, namely the Christian Democratic Party “New Slovenia” (NSi), which previously co-ruled, with 6.6 percent, the Social Democrats with 6. 6 percent and the left with 4.4 percent.
Several parties failed the hurdle
As several other parties fell short of the 4% barrier, the freedom movement won 42 of the 90 seats in the new parliament. One coalition partner would suffice for an absolute majority. There has not been a bipartisan coalition in Slovenia since the mid-1990s. According to the post-election survey, the SDS has 26 seats, the NSi eight, the SD seven and the left five. To date, nine parties are represented in the Slovenian parliament. For example, the second strongest parliamentary party to date, the list of former prime minister Marjan Sarec (LMS), was expelled from parliament, as was the party of former liberal prime minister Alenka Bratusek (SAB). Konkretno, the second strongest ruling party led by Deputy Prime Minister Zdravko Pocivalsek, also failed to stay in parliament.
Four years ago, Jansa’s SDS was clearly the strongest force, but it was initially kept out of power by a left-liberal coalition. He only made a comeback in early 2020. Since then, he has polarized the media and the judiciary, which is why his opponents stylized and mobilized the election as the fateful decision for Slovenian democracy. In fact, participation this year was significantly higher than in 2018.
Clear bearing formation
In Slovenia, there was a clear formation of camps during the election campaign: on the one hand, Jansa opponents with the new favorite Golob and the four opposition parties SD, Levica, LMS and SAB, who previously worked together in parliament in the form of the Constitutional Arch Coalition (KUL). On the other hand, Jansa’s SDS.
Jansa would also have had bad cards if he had won the formation of a government. Left and liberal parties, including Golob, categorically rejected cooperation with the SDS. In 2018, Sarec, who came in second, formed a center-left coalition that lasted just over a year. After Sarec threw in the towel in early 2020 due to coalition infighting, Jansa managed to win two coalition partners alongside him and still become head of government—for the third time after 2004 and 2012.