STA, 30 January 2020 - Several parliamentary parties announced on Thursday they were starting preparations for a snap election after the resignation of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, but their statements suggest they are leaving all options open, including talks on a new coalition.
The Democrats (SDS), with 26 MPs the biggest party in parliament and as such the decisive factor in any coalition talks, said it had already confirmed a preliminary list of candidates for a snap election and formed local campaign teams.
Nevertheless the party is "leaving options open for serious talks with other parties," MP Jelka Godec said after a session of the party's executive committee.
Deputy group leader Danijel Krivec said all options had been put on the table but no decisions had been made. The party plans to wait for other parties to decide what to do and then proceed based on their feedback.
"Our door is always open, it's up to them to make the move now. We weren't the ones ostracising in the past, others did," he said in reference to how parties in the outgoing coalition had refused to talk to SDS after the last election due to SDS's radical platform, in particular on migrations.
There has been some speculation in recent days that SDS leader Janez Janša might step aside and let someone else take the premiership to make a coalition more palatable for potential partners, but Krivec indicated this was not an option.
He said Janša was "the best candidate we have and we're still the party with the largest number of MPs. I think no other option is possible at this point."
Janša did not talk to the press after the meeting.
The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), fresh from a bitterly contested election for the party presidency, said after a session of its top decision-making bodies today it was preparing for both options and planned to engage in talks on a new coalition if an invitation arrives.
If the party is invited to coalition talks, they will make their demands clear. "All decisions will be adopted by the party's bodies," said the new DeSUS president, Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec.
MP Franc Jurša said the key now was to prepare for an election. "But if a coalition is formed, be it right or left, we have to listen and participate in these debates".
The Social Democrats (SD), another junior partner in Šarec's government, formally initiated preparations for a snap election today by appointing a campaign team and starting the vetting process for candidates.
Since Šarec stepped down the party has advocated a snap election as the best option and party leader Dejan Židan reiterated this stance following a meeting of the SD presidency today.
"I don't want people to look for a thousand and one reasons to extend this, to keep positions," he said about ideas entertained in particular by smaller parties for an alternative coalition.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Šarec ruled out any options that would involve his LMŠ party entering a new government and reiterated his stance that a snap election was the best choice.
He said the onus was now on the SDS and its leader and "if the SDS is not in government, a [new] government will not come about". "It is now up to others to make the move," he said.
