Slovenia's Parliamentary Elections: The Main Contenders Are On A Level Playing Field

The main struggle was between the ruling Freedom Movement party and the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party.

On Sunday, March 22, Slovenia holds elections to the unicameral parliament - the State Assembly The polling stations opened at 07:00 and will work until 19:00 local time (09:00-21:00 Minsk time), reports Deutsche Welle.

More than ten political parties and coalitions are participating in the elections in Slovenia. In total, there are more than 1,300 candidates representing a wide range of political forces. However, only a few parties have a real chance of entering parliament, including those that could play a key role in the formation of a new ruling coalition.

The main rivals are Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement party and the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDP) led by Janez Janša. Janša - a populist politician and admirer of US President Donald Trump - previously served three times as Slovenia's head of government. Golob in turn came to power in 2022 as a newcomer to big politics and has led a coalition of three center-left parties.

Janeša is a close ally of Orban

The outcome of the vote will determine whether Ljubljana will maintain its liberal course within the European Union or move to the right, AP news agency wrote. It recalled that Janez Janša is considered a close ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

"Although Slovenia is a small Balkan country (located in the pre-alpine part of the Balkan Peninsula. - Ed.), the elections there can be seen as another sign of growing illiberal tendencies in Europe," said Helen Levy, an expert at the Robert Schuman Foundation.

Foreign interference in the election campaign

Earlier, on March 18, Slovenia's Security Intelligence Agency (SOVA) confirmed foreign interference in the election campaign.

Slovenian media had previously reported on a meeting in Ljubljana in December 2025 between representatives of Black Cube, an international private intelligence and analysis company founded by former Israeli intelligence officers, and Janša. Slovenian authorities were investigating whether Black Cube could have been behind secretly filmed videos that portrayed the Golob government as corrupt, AFP news agency reported. The SDP denied accusations of collaboration with Black Cube.

The first preliminary election results are expected after 8:30 p.m. (22:30 Minsk time).

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