Janez Janša is set to formally submit his candidacy for prime minister to Slovenia’s parliament on Tuesday, 19 May, after all prospective coalition partners approved a coalition agreement paving the way for a new right-wing minority government.
Speaking in Ljubljana on Monday, the leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) said the conditions for filing his nomination had now been fulfilled. He added that the coalition agreement itself is expected to be officially signed by the end of the week.
Svet @strankaSDS je danes potrdil vsebinski del koalicijske pogodbe. 🤝📄
— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) May 18, 2026
S tem so izpolnjeni pogoji za vložitev kandidature za predsednika vlade, ki bo uradno vložena jutri. 🇸🇮 pic.twitter.com/hW0U4jurtb
The move follows weeks of political deadlock after Slovenia’s parliamentary election on 22 March produced no clear governing majority. Liberal caretaker Prime Minister Robert Golob and his Freedom Movement narrowly won the election but failed to form government afterwards.
Under Slovenian constitutional practice, President Nataša Pirc Musar declined to nominate a prime ministerial candidate after neither political bloc secured sufficient parliamentary backing, transferring the nomination right to parliamentary groups and at least ten MPs. The deadline for nominations expires on Tuesday.
The proposed coalition agreement would form the basis of a centre-right minority government involving SDS, the Democrats, and a joint electoral alliance consisting of New Slovenia (NSi), the Slovenian People’s Party (SLS), and Fokus. Together, the bloc controls 43 seats in Slovenia’s 90-member parliament, three short of the 46 votes required to elect a prime minister in a secret parliamentary ballot.
However, the anti-establishment Resni.ca movement announced over the weekend that it would support Janša’s candidacy without formally joining the government. The party holds five seats, potentially providing the votes necessary for Janša’s return to office.
Janša outlined four core pillars of the coalition agreement: fighting corruption, decentralization, reducing bureaucracy, and stimulating economic growth. He added that, if elected, his prospective government would offer opposition parties a broader ‘development partnership agreement’ covering issues such as constitutional debt limits, electoral reform, regionalization, and judicial reform.
‘The proposed coalition agreement would form the basis of a centre-right minority government’
Golob’s Freedom Movement unexpectedly proposed on Monday the formation of a broad technocratic government supported across the political spectrum, which would also imply cooperation with SDS. Janša declined to respond directly to the offer, stating only that his answer would be contained in Tuesday’s planned submission of his candidacy.
The veteran conservative politician, who has already served three terms as Slovenian prime minister, remains one of Central Europe’s most prominent right-wing figures. Janša is a close ally of former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and has frequently aligned himself with anti-migration and sovereigntist positions within the European Union. He also maintains good relations with US President Donald Trump. His party, SDS, sits within the European People’s Party, the same European political family as Hungary’s new governing Tisza Party.
If Janša succeeds in forming a government now, he would become the first person in modern Slovenian history to serve four times as prime minister.
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