PM Modi congratulates new Slovenian PM Janez Jansa, eyes stronger ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Janez Jansa on his election as Slovenia's new PM, looking forward to strengthening bilateral ties. Slovenia's parliament voted to bring back the right-wing leader, ending a post-election deadlock.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Janez Jansa on his election as the Prime Minister of Slovenia and expressed optimism about strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. In a post on X, PM Modi said he looked forward to working closely with the Slovenian leader to further deepen cooperation. "Heartiest congratulations to Mr. Janez Jansa on his election as the Prime Minister of Slovenia. I look forward to working closely with him to further strengthen our bilateral ties for the shared prosperity and mutual benefit of our people," the post read.

Jansa's Return to Power

Slovenia's parliament on May 22 voted to bring back right-wing leader Janez Jansa as Prime Minister, marking a political shift in the European Union member state after his previous term ended in 2022. According to Al Jazeera, lawmakers in the 90-member National Assembly voted 51-36 in favour of Jansa, ending a post-election deadlock that had persisted for weeks following a closely contested vote which took place in March.

Jansa will now need to return to parliament within the next 15 days for a further vote to confirm his cabinet and formally complete the government formation process. The move comes after the previous election resulted in a stalemate when former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement failed to secure a stable majority despite emerging as the largest party with 29 seats, Al Jazeera reported.

Last week on Thursday, Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) signed a coalition agreement with several centre-right parties to form a new government, which currently commands 43 seats in the 90-member assembly.

The development will mark the fourth term for the 67-year-old leader, who has previously served as Slovenia's Prime Minister from 2004 to 2008, 2012 to 2013, and 2020 to 2022.

In the March 22 elections, SDS finished second with 28 seats, just behind the Freedom Movement's 29 seats.

The new coalition includes SDS, New Slovenia, the Democrats, the Slovenian People's Party, and Focus and has also received external backing from the right-wing Resnica party, which will not formally join the government, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The formation of the coalition ends weeks of political uncertainty in the country following a closely divided election result.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)