Slovenian PM beats pro-Israel rival, despite alleged election interference by Israeli firm
The Times of Israel • • world
Key Points:
- Slovenia’s liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed a narrow victory in parliamentary elections, with his party winning 29 seats compared to 28 for the conservative party led by Janez Jansa in the 90-seat parliament.
- The election was marked by a tight race and allegations of foreign interference, with Slovenian authorities investigating whether Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube was behind secretly recorded videos suggesting corruption in Golob’s government.
- Golob, who took office in 2022, promised to defend Slovenia’s sovereignty and pursue coalition talks with all parties, while Jansa described the vote as a “referendum on corruption” and vowed to count every vote.
- The fragmented parliament includes several smaller parties, making the formation of a stable government challenging, with Golob’s liberal coalition having legalized same-sex marriage and taken a strong stance on international issues like the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- Public opinion was mixed, with some voters calling for government change and others indifferent to the scandal involving the secretly recorded videos, which have been linked to political maneuvering ahead of the election.
