Golob, who came to power in 2022 on a wave of protests against Jansa\u2019s crackdown on civil liberties, announced last month he could not form a government.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/golob-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tFile: Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob addressing the media after casting his vote at a polling station for parliamentary elections in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Denes Erdos\/AP)<\/p>\n
Golob\u2019s government recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, becoming one of the few EU countries to claim Israel\u2019s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza was a \u201cgenocide,\u201d a claim that Israel has strongly rejected.<\/p>\n
Slovenian public broadcaster RTV was also the first in Europe to demand Israel\u2019s exclusion from the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest and boycotted it in 2026, citing the ongoing war in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Golob\u2019s administration also banned imports from Jewish settlements in the West Bank in 2025, only a week after prohibiting all weapons trade with Israel, the first EU member to do so. That ruling followed on the heels of another one declaring National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich persona non grata.<\/p>\n
Slovenia also became the first EU country to impose a travel ban on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last September.<\/p>\n
Jansa, meanwhile, previously said that if he returns to power, he will relocate Slovenia\u2019s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and rescind Ljubljana\u2019s recognition of Palestine.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260320__A4699N6__v1__HighRes__SloveniaVoteElection-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tSlovenia\u2019s liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob (L) and Slovenia\u2019s opposition leader and nationalist former prime minister Janez Jansa attend the last televised political debate ahead of the parliamentary elections in Ljubljana on March 20, 2026. (Jure Makovec \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
In 2021, Jansa was criticized for posting an antisemitic tweet after he accused several members of the European Parliament of being \u201cpuppets\u201d of George Soros. The Hungarian-American billionaire investor, who is Jewish, has been the subject of antisemitic attacks and conspiracy theories for decades.<\/p>\n
The European Union said at the time that antisemitism \u201chas no place\u201d in the 27-nation bloc.<\/p>\n
Stability in doubt<\/p>\n
Jansa swiftly launched coalition talks that ended on Monday with a deal between his Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and two center-right parties \u2014 Christian democratic party Nova Slovenija and his former close ally Anze Logar\u2019s Democrats.<\/p>\n
Combined, they hold 43 seats in parliament.<\/p>\n
He ensured a majority with the votes of five lawmakers from the anti-establishment, pro-Russian party Resnica, created in 2021 by opponents of the state measures aimed at limiting the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
The coalition program priorities include reducing taxes and forging a more efficient state through decentralization and slashing bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/slov-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tRight-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) leader Janez Jansa (L) and President of the Slovenian National Assembly Zoran Stevanovic shake hands after Jansa was chosen as Slovenia\u2019s Prime Minister by the members of the National Assembly in Ljubljana on May 22, 2026. (Jure Makovec \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will ensure a cheaper state but with better quality,\u201d Jansa told journalists earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Jansa has repeatedly criticized spending by Golob\u2019s center-left coalition government, while pledging to restore \u201cSlovenian values,\u201d such as the \u201ctraditional family.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his presentation speech, Jansa also announced his government would advocate for \u201ca consistent control of legal migration and the prevention of illegal migration at the EU\u2019s external borders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Resnica shares many points with the coalition program, but announced it will remain an opposition party, which might hamper the government\u2019s stability, according to political commentator Aljaz Bitenc Pengov.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of a parliamentary majority, they won\u2019t be stable, and internally they won\u2019t be stable either, primarily because of Resnica\u2026 and Logar,\u201d Bitenc Pengov told AFP.<\/p>\n
The last days of campaigning ahead of the March 22 vote were overshadowed by claims of foreign interference, with authorities probing whether Israeli company Black Cube was behind secretly recorded videos alleging graft in Golob\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260320__A44L9XX__v1__HighRes__SloveniaVoteElection-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tFile: A paper figure depicting Slovenian opposition leader, nationalist former prime minister Janez Jansa, is placed on a pile of black cubes as demonstrators gather at a rally to urge citizens to vote in front of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana on March 20, 2026, ahead of the parliamentary elections. (Jure Makovec \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
Jansa \u2014 who faced accusations his party was linked to the videos \u2014 has admitted to meeting a Black Cube official, but denied being behind the videos.<\/p>\n
The videos allegedly show the officials suggesting ways to influence decision-makers in Golob\u2019s government to speed up procedures or win contracts.<\/p>\n
During his third mandate as prime minister from 2020 to 2022, Jansa had frequent run-ins with the European Union and drew protests at home, with critics accusing him of attacking media freedom and the judiciary and undermining the rule of law.<\/p>\n
He is expected to assume office in June after his ministers are also approved by parliament at a new session that has to be called within the next 15 days.<\/p>\n
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