The president of the People's Party (SLS), Radovan Žerjav, came out of a meeting with Zoran Janković, whose Positive Slovenia emerged as the winner of the 4 December general election, saying that the SLS, viewed as potential coalition partner, would not join a Jankovic-led government coalition.
Maintaining the position he had already presented last week, Zerjav said in Ljubljana on Monday that his party would become a part of a constructive opposition in the new National Assembly. The SLS believes that joining government coalition led by Jankovic would be "a betrayal of our voters", Zerjav said, adding though that the party wouldnevertheless back the necessary reforms, including an austerity law and the pension reform. Zarjav had said that there "was practically no chance" that the SLS would form a coalition with Jankovic already after last week's session of the party's executive committee.
He said the two parties had divergent views on the country's future taking out of loans and the raising of the VAT, both of which the SLS strongly opposes.Zerjav believes that the best solution for the country would be a grand coalition between Positive Slovenia and the runners-up in the election, the Democrats (SDS), an idea launched by veteran SLS politician Ivan Oman last week.Jankovic got the cold shoulder from two other potential coalition partners last week, the Social Democrats (SD) and the Citizens' List of Gregor Virant. Expectedly, he was also rejected by New Slovenia (NSi), while a meeting with the SDS was cancelled following a disagreement on where it should be held.The only to have responded positively to Jankovic's call so far is the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS).
Source: The SloveniaTimes
