Slovenians vote in tight race between liberals and populist right

Slovenians vote in a tight election between liberal and populist candidates, impacting the country's future domestic and foreign policies.

Polls ‌opened on Sunday (March 22, 2026) in Slovenia’s election pitting incumbent liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob against right-wing populist Janez Jansa, with neither looking set to win ⁠a parliamentary majority in the vote that could be decided by smaller coalition partners.

Nearly 1.7 million Slovenians will be able to cast votes at polling stations that opened at 7 a.m. (0600 ‌GMT) across the Alpine country and will close at 7 p.m. The election commission is expected to announce the preliminary results after 8:30 ‌p.m.

The latest opinion polls indicated pro-Donald Trump Mr. Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and Golob’s ‌Freedom ⁠Movement (GS) were set for a close race after an eleventh-hour ⁠campaign drama involving allegations of foreign meddling and graft.

Mr. Jansa said the vote is one of the most important in Slovenia’s 35 years of independence and will decide the future direction of the country.

“I hope that Slovenia will get rid of ‌the organised criminal organisation,” he told reporters after casting his vote in the village of Arnace, 85 km northwest of the capital Ljubljana.

Analysts say Mr. Jansa, who is seeking a fourth term as premier of the European Union and NATO ‌member state of 2 million people, has a devoted voter base and the lower the turnout, the higher the chances of him winning the election.