Deputy Groups Formed, Next Step is Coalition Building, Then a Prime Minister

By , 27 Jun 2018, 17:46 PM Politics
Deputy Groups Formed, Next Step is Coalition Building, Then a Prime Minister Paloma Lavour

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STA, 27 June 2018 - All deputy groups have been formed following Friday's maiden session of the new parliament, opening the path for formal talks on coalition building and consultations with President Borut Pahor on whom to nominate the prime minister-designate. 

Deputies must form groups within seven days of the parliament's maiden session. A group must consist of at least three MPs, who choose their leader and the leader's deputy. Groups with more than 20 MPs can have two deputy leaders.

The Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) officially formed their deputy groups on Wednesday as the last of the nine parties elected to parliament on 3 June.

The Left's faction in parliament will be headed by Matej T. Vatovec, while Marko Bandelli will lead the SAB's MPs.

The other parliamentary groups formed either on Friday or Tuesday.

The group of the election winner, the Democratic Party (SDS), will no longer be headed by Jože Tanko, who has been deputy faction leader for years. He has been replaced by Danijel Krivec.

The group of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) picked Brane Golubovič to lead the group as the party's only deputy who has previous parliamentary experience.

Golubovič was an MP for Positive Slovenia (PS) in 2013-2014.

Matjaž Han will continue to lead the SocDem deputy group, while the Modern Centre Party (SMC) picked Igor Zorčič to lead MPs after previous deputy group head Simona Kustec Lipicer left politics.

New Slovenia (NSi) also picked a tested deputy group leader - Jožef Horvat - as did the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), whose group will be headed by Franc Jurša.

The National Party's (SNS) group is the only faction in parliament to be headed by party leader, Zmago Jelinčič.

The two minority representatives in parliament have their own group, which will be headed by Italian minority MP Felice Žiža.

As is tradition, this likely means that Hungarian minority MP Ferenc Horvath will take over as the chair of the Commission for National Communities.

After two years, it is customary for the two minority MPs to change offices.

The formation of the deputy groups opens the door for President Pahor to hold talks with deputy groups on whom to put forward as prime minister-designate.

The president said earlier in the day he would hold the first round of talks on Monday and Tuesday. If that is not be enough for a clear picture about who could form a coalition, he will hold another round at the end of next week.

Pahor had announced that he would give SDS leader Janez Janša the first chance to form a coalition if talks with deputy groups fail to produce a clear candidate.

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