The President of Slovenia Natasa Pirc Musar has decided not to propose a candidate for prime minister after concluding consultations with parliamentary parties, citing a lack of sufficient support and trust among political actors, her cabinet said on April 25.

In a statement released after the talks, Pirc Musar said she had informed the speaker of the National Assembly that she would not submit a nomination within the parliamentary deadline. The decision follows indications from the relative winner of the March 22 elections that it could not secure the votes needed to form a government.

On April 20, Robert Golob, leader of the Freedom Movement, said he was preparing to move into opposition after failing to secure the 46 votes required for a parliamentary majority. Although his party won the election, it holds only a narrow lead over its rival, the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), complicating coalition-building efforts.

Explaining her decision, the president said consultations revealed a lack of mutual respect and credibility among political parties. “If political actors want to gain my trust… I expect them to speak honestly and openly,” she said, warning that political calculation and inconsistency were undermining efforts to form a government.

She also pointed to declining public trust, noting that voters expect stability, cooperation and responsible leadership rather than division. Politics, she added, must be based on fair compromise, respect for the rule of law and democratic values.

Meanwhile, Janez Jansa, leader of SDS and former prime minister, signalled a possible alternative path to forming a government. He said parties backing proposed amendments to the Government Act would receive draft coalition guidelines, according to RTV SLO.

Speaking during an extraordinary parliamentary session, Jansa said SDS has not yet decided whether it will attempt to form a government, but would first seek agreement on key policy priorities.

“If these starting points are agreed, we will move on to coordinating sectoral programmes for the next four years,” Jansa said, adding that only once these are finalised and endorsed by party bodies would talks on forming a government begin.

He stressed that any coalition must be “solid” and not formed “at any cost”, leaving open the possibility of opposition or early elections.

Members of parliament are expected to vote on amendments to the Government Act, including a proposal to reduce the number of ministries from 19 to 14.

Under Slovenia’s procedures, if no candidate is nominated in the first round, parliamentary groups or at least ten MPs can propose a prime minister-designate within 14 days. If no candidate is elected, a third round may follow, requiring only a simple majority. Should all attempts fail, the president dissolves parliament and calls early elections.