"Fatigue is a very good word for a description of the general mood in the country," Pahor told the interview with the Financial Times, adding: "What we need is to end this austerity."
The British paper writes that "Slovenia's economic struggles have been compounded by a brewing political crisis over high-level corruption that has triggered widespread protests.
The daily also notes that coalition partners called on PM Janez Janša to resign after the country's anti-corruption watchdog accused him of graft.
While Pahor acknowledged that his government had misjudged the severity of the financial crisis in 2009, he also told the British daily that Slovenia had the wherewithal to deal with any shortfalls in its banking system after the passage of a pension reform in December.
He pledged to continue work to shore up the country's banking system and reform other aspects of the economy, including the labour market, but argued that the success of those endeavours ultimately hinged on strengthening the rule of law.
He cited abuses related to privatisation, in particular, as an area that merited a more thorough review by judicial authorities.
Pahor also promised to take a more consensual approach: "Maybe my mistake being prime minister is I thought it was my duty to push, to go with reforms no matter how strong the support of social partners."
Source: SloveniaTimes
