SLOVENIA:SLOVENIA'S OPPOSITION Social Democrats appeared poised to oust the centre-right government last night, according to exit polls released after an election that was overshadowed by accusations of corruption against prime minister Janez Jansa, writes Daniel McLaughlin
The centre-left Social Democrats, led by Borut Pahor, won 32 per cent of the vote against 28 per cent for Mr Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), according to an exit poll for TV Slovenija. Another poll for the POP television channel gave Mr Pahor's party 31.5 per cent and the SDS 27.7 per cent.
If the exit polls are borne out, the Social Democrats will be able to secure a majority in parliament by forming an alliance with the like-minded Zares and Liberal Democrat parties.
According to the exit polls, one of the parties with which Mr Jansa governed since 2004 may have failed to cross the 4 per cent threshold needed to enter parliament. "If these results prove to be true, I will congratulate Mr Pahor, but we still have to wait for the official results," said Mr Jansa.
He and his allies had been expected to secure a narrow victory in the election, despite spending the final weeks of the campaign denying allegations that he had taken bribes from a Finnish company as part of a deal to sell armoured vehicles to Slovenia.
After the exit polls were announced, Mr Pahor said: "We achieved this success with a moderate policy, which is a good prospect for governing after the election. We will lead the government in the interest of all (citizens)."
A former communist, Mr Pahor (44) has taken the Social Democrats from the margins to the head of the centre-left bloc.