Slovenia’s parliament approves right-leaning government as Jansa returns as PM for a fourth time

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Thursday gave approval for the new government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa, marking a turn to the right for the small European Union country.

Lawmakers backed the new government in a 49-30 vote in the 90-member assembly.

The vote came after parliamentary elections held in March that produced no clear winner. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement won most votes, but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa, 67, who was appointed as prime minister last month, and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party formed a coalition government with other right-leaning groups in Parliament. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is Jansa's fourth term in office. The political veteran is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election in April.

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015, and faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. That led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Jansa pledged his new government will be “for all of Slovenia and for all generations.” Speaking on Thursday, he said his 15-strong Cabinet had ”rich experience."

Jansa pledged to lower the taxes and complained that Slovenia had “an incredibly overblown bureaucracy" compared to other European countries He said he will call on opposition parties to work together on key issues in the future.

The new Cabinet includes Tone Kajzer, the former Slovenian ambassador to the U.S., who has been appointed as foreign minister, while Franci Matoz — who is Jansa'a former lawyer — was appointed as interior minister, which has prompted some public criticism.

Jansa, who is a supporter of Israel, has also been a stern critic of the Golob government’s 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state. The new government is expected to improve Slovenia's currently frosty relations with Israel.

The March 22 election was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.