Slovenia - Election 2011 - National Assembly
In December 2011 Slovenia saw its first early parliamentary elections. A parliamentary vote was called in September 2011, after the Alpine state's minority center-left government was ousted in a no-confidence vote. That vote came amid poor economic recovery forecasts and disagreements between Prime Minister Borut Pahor's Social Democrats and junior coalition partners. Pre-election surveys predicted that the Slovenian Democratic Party of former prime minister Janez Jansa could win a full third of the votes in the country of two million. But analysts said he likely will need support from smaller parties to form a majority in the 90-seat parliament. Jansa was prime minister of the former Yugoslav republic from 2004 to 2008. He had promised to cut the country's huge public debt, which has risen to about 45 percent of its gross domestic product, and to address unemployment hovering at 12 percent.
On 05 December 2011, a new center-left party, led by a prominent businessman and mayor of the capital, Ljubljana, was the surprise election winner, although the conservatives had been the favorites. Zoran Jankovic's Positive Slovenia party received nearly 29 percent of the vote. He told supporters the result shows Slovenia is headed in the right direction. He says voters wanted an efficient government, the rule of law, democracy and social stability. His Positive Slovenia party will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession. Jankovic promised swift reforms, including austerity measures in this Alpine nation of two-million people.
Jankovic failed to gain a parliamentary majority, receiving the support of only 42 lawmakers in the 90-seat assembly. Just 47 voted, as several parties abstained. Jankovic, mayor of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, said that he accepts the outcome. “If you would like to know whether I am disappointed, I can tell you no, I am not. We have done our best. We stood firmly behind our promises to our voters. I am sorry because our program was good, and Slovenia would speedily recover. I still think that our three slogans: Lots of work, lots of will and hope are the best for Slovenians and that we will be a constructive opposition to whoever becomes the prime minister.''
On 25 January 2012 five Slovenian center-right parties reached a deal naming Janez Jansa as the eurozone nation's new prime minister. The coalition, which made up 50 of the 90 seats in parliament, named Jansa to the post on a platform of improving the country's economy. Slovenia's president, Danilo Turk, has refused to back Jansa, saying he lacks legitimacy for the post because of an ongoing corruption trial. Jansa was accused of taking bribes to secure a deal with a Finnish arms company. Jansa heads the Democratic Party and served previously as prime minister from 2004 to 2008. Despite the president's objections, he was confirmed by parliamen. The coalition deal came just two weeks after parliament rejected the appointment of Zoran Jankovic, whose party won the December 4 election, but without enough votes to form a majority coalition.
The main goals over the first half-year of the Government of the Prime Minister Janez Janša were the maintenance of financial sustainability and the promotion of economic growth. Ministers faced a budget deficit and at the same time, measures for the promotion of the economy and the creation of conditions to improve the competitiveness of the Slovenian economy were being prepared.
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