Premier beats nationalist Trump ally in Slovenia's closest vote

Jan Bratanic, Bloomberg News on Mar 22, 2026

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Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed victory over nationalist leader Janez Jansa in the country’s closest election in history, according to nearly complete official results.

Golob’s Freedom Movement won 28.6% of the vote, followed by Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party with 28.1%, according to nearly complete results on Sunday. Jansa said he was ready to challenge the result, citing his own party’s data that put him ahead.

“You gave your votes for democracy, not only the Freedom Movement,” Golob said in Ljubljana as last votes came in.

With over 99% of the vote counted, only ballots from abroad remain. However, they haven’t been decisive in previous elections.

While seven parties made it to the 90-seat National Assembly, neither of the two largest parties won an outright majority, hinting at complex and lengthy coalition-building negotiations.

The tight vote in the European Union member state of 2.1 million came after a heated campaign marred by allegations of foreign meddling as a series of videos appeared alleging corruption among Golob’s allies. Security services pointed to a visit by an Israeli private intelligence company, which they said held talks in the headquarters of Jansa’s party headquarters.

Golob’s win came despite concerns that those videos would tarnish his reputation with voters and give ammunition to Jansa. The premier earlier accused Jansa of “high treason” during a frontrunners’ TV debate, alleging the opposition leader was connected to the operation. Jansa denied wrongdoing, saying the country would “never be the same after this corruption revelation.”

The premier’s center-left coalition has criticized Jansa for trying to push Slovenia toward the illiberal governance of his ally Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary who polls show is on the back foot ahead of an election next month.

Golob, a 59-year old former chief executive, ousted Jansa in 2022 after months of anti-government protests with a promise to reverse measures he deemed undermined democracy.

The 67-year-old Jansa, a former Communist Party member turned right-wing populist, is an admirer of US Donald Trump and shares many elements of the US president’s political style, including run-ins with the media. He’d vowed to cut taxes, crack down on migration and restrict funding to non-governmental organizations critical of him.

Still, Golob said on Sunday that tough negotiations lie ahead. It also remains uncertain who will get the mandate to form the government, as President Natasa Pirc Musar said she will nominate the candidate who is first to secure at least 46 votes of support in parliament.

Miro Hacek, a political analyst from the University of Ljubljana, said that tactical voting has boosted support for the two main parties, which will further complicate the process of forming alliances after the vote.