Slovenian Elections: Pro-European Party Secures a Narrow Lead
23 March 05:17
In the elections for the unicameral parliament held on Sunday, March 22, in Slovenia, Prime Minister Robert Golob’s “Freedom Movement” (GS) party and the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDP), led by Janez Janša—a close ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—received nearly equal numbers of votes. Neither of the rivals was able to secure an absolute majority of 46 out of 90 seats in parliament, writes [Komersant], citing DW.
According to the election commission after 99.85 percent of the votes were counted, the “Freedom” Movement secured a narrow victory with 28.62 percent, while the SDP received 27.95 percent. Seven other parties that cleared the 5 percent threshold also entered the Slovenian parliament.
About the elections in Slovenia
More than ten political parties and coalitions participated in the parliamentary elections in Slovenia. In total, over 1,300 candidates representing a broad spectrum of political forces were nominated. Previously, Prime Minister Golob’s main political opponent, Janez Janša—a populist politician and admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump—served three terms as head of the Slovenian government. Golob, in turn, came to power in 2022 as a newcomer to big-time politics and led a three-party center-left coalition.
“Although Slovenia is a small Balkan country (located in the pre-Alpine part of the Balkan Peninsula. — Ed. ), the elections taking place there can be seen as yet another sign of the rise of illiberal tendencies in Europe,” noted Helen Levy, an expert at the Robert Schuman Foundation.
In June 1991, Slovenia was the first to declare independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Foreign interference in the election campaign
Earlier, on March 18, the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA) confirmed foreign interference in the country’s parliamentary election campaign.
Slovenian media had previously reported on a meeting that took place in Ljubljana in December 2025 between representatives of Black Cube—an international private intelligence and analysis company founded by former Israeli intelligence officers—and Janša. Slovenian authorities investigated whether Black Cube could have been behind secretly recorded videos that portrayed the Golob government as corrupt, the AFP news agency reported. The SDP denied allegations of cooperation with Black Cube.
