Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek threatened on Thursday to quit the government if she loses a party leadership vote this month, saying the country had no time for "games" as it seeks to avert an international bailout.
Bratusek's resignation would almost certainly trigger a snap election, delaying a raft of crisis measures to shore up Slovenia's finances and increasing the likelihood it will become the latest member of the 17-nation eurozone to seek EU/IMF aid.
In a direct challenge to Bratusek's authority, Ljubljana mayor Zoran Jankovic, who created the Positive Slovenia party in 2011 but resigned in February, announced on Wednesday he would challenge her for the party leadership at a congress on 19 October. Bratusek's coalition allies have said they would quit the governing alliance if Jankovic, who has been tainted by accusations of corruption, returns as party leader. The government already faces a confidence vote, expected in November, over the 2014 national budget.
Analysts say it is far from certain which way the party leadership vote will go. Technically Bratusek can continue as prime minister even if not leader of the party, but she made clear she would not.
Jankovic stepped aside as leader of Positive Slovenia in February to clear the way for Bratusek to form a coalition government with the urgent task of overhauling the Alpine country's debt-laden banks and offloading more than a dozen state-controlled companies. Ex-socialist Slovenia's export-driven economy was the eurozone's fastest growing when it joined the bloc in 2007 but hit a wall with the onset of the global crisis.
Full article
© Reuters
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article