STA, 16 February 2020 - Addressing a ceremonial session marking the 31st anniversary of the Democratic Party (SDS) in Murska Sobota on Saturday, its leader Janez Janša said that the next snap election is likely close. He repeated that the SDS was open to cooperation with everybody in the spirit of constitutional values.
Janša has launched coalition-building talks after the resignation of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. He has been talking with the Modern Centre Party (SMC), the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and New Slovenia (NSi).
While the NSi already gave its leader Matej Tonin the mandate to negotiate a partnership with Janša, the SMC and DeSUS, both partners in the outgoing coalition, have not yet decided whether they would join this coalition.
The SDS is the biggest party in the National Assembly, however, Janša was unable to put together a coalition after the 2018 election, as most parties refused to enter a partnership with Janša.
Unless a new coalition is formed by early March, Slovenia will hold an early election, an option for which the SDS says it is ready. Indeed, the party has been faring very well in public opinion polls.
In his speech today, Janša said that new faces spring up ahead of every election and this will also be the case this time. "Although it is known that such attempts do not work, things can obviously still be manipulated up to a point."
He also said that the SDS was open to cooperation on the basis of values stated in the Constitution. After every fall of a government or before an election, there are always discussions whether it is possible to put together a government that would not open ideological issues, he said.
Janša believes it is possible to build a majority coalition solely on the values of the Constitution. If these had been in focus and not undermined, things would be much different today.
He also invited the parties that refuse to cooperate with the SDS to "come out of the woods after 75 years, stop living in the past and turn to the future". Janša's invitation to talks has been rejected by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), the Social Democrats (SD), the Left and the National Party (SNS).
