Slovenia's centre-left parties defeated conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa in a parliamentary election on Sunday, returning to power after a four-year break.
Many in this small but prosperous EU member state felt Jansa had failed to tame high inflation, which the new government will have to curb while keeping the booming economy on track despite a global financial slowdown.
With some 99.9 percent of votes in the tiny Alpine country counted, the opposition Social Democrats (SD) of Borut Pahor held a small lead over Jansa's SDS, but SD's two coalition partners were faring better than those of the SDS. According to the partial results, the SD and its two centre-left allies, Zares and the Liberal Democrats, would together control some 43 seats in the 90-member parliament, versus 40 seats of the SDS and its present coalition partners.
The State Electoral Commission said the SD had 30.5 percent, compared to 29.3 percent for SDS. Official results, which will include the votes from abroad that represent some 2.7 percent of the electoral body, are expected by October 1. Turnout was some 62.2 percent, up from 60.7 percent four years ago.
A pensioners party, Desus, that had been a junior partner in Jansa's ruling coalition and is likely to get 7 seats, has indicated it would side with the winner.
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