The decision was taken unanimously and will be voted on by the party's council on 6 May, DeSUS president Karl Erjavec told the press in Ljubljana. Claiming that DeSUS cannot be part of a coalition that has no respect for "fairness", Erjavec believes the best option for the country is early elections.
Erjavec, who came up with the idea that party should leave the coalition, again highlighted DeSUS's opposition to the pension reform and the reasons that led to Monday's resignation of DeSUS member Dusa Trobec Bucan as minister for local government and regional development.
He added that DeSUS, which started the term of the incumbent ruling coalition with seven MPs before two decided to become independent deputies, would nonetheless try to act in a constructive manner in parliament.
Erjavec explained that he had meet with PM Borut Pahor before today's vote and that Pahor had expressed doubt about the possibility of early elections, arguing that most MPs - a majority is needed - were not likely to vote for a dissolution of parliament.
The pair looked for solutions, but made no progress, with Erjavec complaining to Pahor that DeSUS had not been taken seriously during its time in the coalition and that its proposals, even if they were good, were rejected.
Erjavec highlighted the pension reform (passed in parliament last years without DeSUS's support) as an example, saying that "not a single comment by DeSUS" had been taken into account.
Erjavec added he had expected that Pahor would at least try to prevent the referendum on the pension reform, arguing that chances of the reform surviving the popular vote were very slim and that this would put the operative capacity of the government in question.
He feels that a minority government is not very likely to make it to the 2012 general elections. "The departure of DeSUS from the government is the first step towards unblocking the government. The next step needs to be made by the prime minister," Erjavec said.
Meanwhile, DeSUS deputy group head Josko Godec stressed that today's decision had also been backed by all of party's MPs, whereas Trobec Bucan, who stepped down over alleged lack of trust in her work, reiterated she had made the right decision.
Trobec Bucan said that she had enjoyed the support of Pahor, but that the extent of his support was limited to what "he was allowed". "I would have needed wider support," she said.
Roko Zarnic, a university professor who took over as the environment and spatial planning minister in February 2010 after the dismissal of Erjavec, said that he planned to stay in politics although his time as minister seems to be ending.
Zarnic believes that the party's rankings - DeSUS has for a while been firmly in third place in opinion polls, behind the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the ruling Social Democrats (SD) - bode well for his political future.
Responding to DeSUS's announcement, opposition parties said they expected snap elections as soon as possible.
The LibDems said they were happy that Erjavec finally made up his mind, while the SD expects Pahor to put forward new ministerial candidates to replace the DeSUS ministers.
SOURCE: The Slovenia Times
