In Slovenia, parliamentary elections will be held on April 24
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) – The Slovenian president officially called the parliamentary elections for April 24 on Wednesday.
The vote will test the popularity of right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa during political divisions in a small European Union country.
President Borut Pahor said he had chosen the earliest possible date provided by the electoral legislation. He called for an inseparable tone in the campaign and debates before the vote.
“Political, ideological and other differences … should divide us only as much as we can then recover as a community,” he was quoted as saying by the STA news agency.
In the election, Jansa’s Slovene Democratic Party and its allies will face a coalition of left-wing groups that have vowed to unite against a populist leader closely linked to tough Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The new player, businessman Robert Golob, has emerged as a serious opponent of Janša after taking over the leadership of the Green Party.
Janša came to power in March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began. Critics at home have accused Janša of restricting democratic freedoms and promoting a policy of divisions in a traditionally temperate country of about two million people.
Janša, a sharp anti-immigration politician, also faced accusations of pressure on the media in Slovenia in the 27-member EU.
The prime minister said Wednesday he was positive for a new coronavirus with mild symptoms.