A minority government "is an option if the offered cooperation is sustainable," Šarec told reporters on Wednesday after he was formally informed about the Left staying out but possibly backing his government on selected projects.
The five parties which are for now sticking with Šarec have 43 votes among them in the 90-member legislature, while the Left has nine.
Talks with the Left on a cooperation pact will start next week, and Šarec as well as Left leader Luka Mesec were confident today a productive deal could be reached.
"Notwithstanding the fact that their executive council decided not to enter the coalition, the document is nevertheless a foundation for cooperation," Šarec said.
Left leader Luka Mesec said there was "enough overlap to resolve some key developmental and social issues in the coming years." He was confident it was possible to avert a snap election and that a minority government could be stable.
While this is the most serious indication yet a minority government backed by the Left may be in the cards, Šarec has also indicated "everything is possible" when asked whether there was a possibility of NSi or another party joining the coalition at a later point.
His statement comes after members of three of his four potential partners - the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Social Democrats (SD) - said they were sticking with him.
But they also indicated a minority government was not the best option.
SMC leader Miro Cerar, for example, believes "another party will join the core, having recognised the responsibility and the importance of this moment" indicating that Šarec may decide to get himself elected prime minister-designate first and then seek to expand his coalition.
"First we need to select a PM-designate, which is why we will support Šarec ... but then ministers have to be appointed and content will be finalized. It will not be before then that we know who is in the coalition," Cerar said.
Šarec himself was coy about this option saying that the priority now was to reach a cooperation deal with the Left.
Bratušek: "The voters have shown they want a leftist government”
The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) said Wednesday they continued to support Marjan Šarec as prime minister-designate even though the Left has walked out of coalition talks, ending the prospects of him forming a government with a solid majority in parliament, reports the STA.
"He has our support. Our five votes are on the table, we are confident the other four parties will act the same way," party president Alenka Bratušek told the press.
The statement comes after the Left's governing council decided last night not to join a five-party centre-left coalition led by Šarec but left the door open to voting in favour of a minority government pending clearance from the party's rank-and-file.
Bratušek said she was "disappointed that the Left refused to take responsibility for securing prosperity for everyone" opting instead to remain on the sidelines "with their tail between their legs."
"The voters have shown they want a leftist government, unfortunately the Left has rendered that option impossible," according to Bratušek.
Bratušek also called on "parties who care about Slovenia getting a government ... to join in fully, not just with outside support."
The five parties remaining in Šarec's circle have 43 votes among them in the 90-member legislature.
The Left formally informed Marjan Šarec of their decision this morning, but Šarec has not provided any comment yet.
