Slovenia's PM steps down, urges EU nation to hold early vote

Full Screen
1 / 2

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. European Union leaders are gathering Friday to discuss Britain's departure from the bloc amid some relief that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has secured an election majority that should allow him to push the Brexit deal through parliament. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

LJUBLJANA – Slovenia's prime minister announced his resignation on Monday and urged the country to hold an early general election.

Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said he's resigning because of the crumbling support for his minority government in the small European Union nation of 2 million.

Recommended Videos



Sarec said he will submit his resignation to the country's parliament. Lawmakers then can try to form a new government, but Sarec said he believed an early election was a better option.

“I cannot fulfill people's expectations at the moment," Sarec said, according to the STA news agency. “But I can fulfill them after the elections."

Finance Minister Andrej Bartoncelj also resigned earlier Monday.

Sarec, a former actor and comedian, became the head of Slovenia's government in 2018. He gathered a liberal coalition sidelining a right-wing party that won most votes at a parliamentary election in June 2018.

However, Sarec's five-party coalition has been shaky after a leftist party recently withdrew parliamentary support for the minority government.

Sarec said he wants to go into an early election and “let people decide whether they trust me," said the STA report.