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| - Slovenia's anti-migrant SDS party announced on Tuesday that it has agreed with three other parties to form a coalition government following the centre-left premier's resignation in January. Marjan Sarec stepped down as prime minister on January 27 during infighting in his minority five-party coalition government after one-and-a-half years in office. The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) -- the largest parliamentary party and ally of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's Fidesz party -- announced last week talks were underway to find a common platform for a majority centre-right coalition government. "We have proposed to President Borut Pahor that he gives SDS leader Janez Jansa the mandate to form a new government," SDS spokesman Danijel Krivec said after meeting Pahor on Tuesday. Pahor, who on Tuesday continued discussions with other parliamentary parties, is expected to announce his decision this week after meeting SDS leader Jansa, a former two-time premier. The proposed coalition would see the SDS partnering up with centre-right Nova Slovenija (NSi) and outgoing junior coalition parties Modern Centre Party (SMC) and pensioners party DESUS, giving them a total of 48 out of the 90 seats in parliament. Sarec, who has called for fresh elections, has warned its former allies against joining a coalition with SDS. "We should ask ourselves if we want Orban's Slovenia or a sovereign Slovenia," he said, referring to Jansa's close ties with the right-wing Hungarian leader. Earlier this month, a Slovenian investigative website Necenzurirano published a report claiming it had documents proving Orban-linked companies had invested around 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in a Slovenia SDS-founded television and publishing house over the last two years. But SMC leader Zdravko Pocivalsek said the eurozone country did not need "more months without an operational government". The latest opinion poll published by private POP TV this week showed coalition talks had increased public support for the SDS to 18.2 percent, ahead of Sarec's party which stood at 13.4 percent support. SDS won the most votes in the last election in 2018, but Jansa failed to win over sufficient allies, paving the way for political newcomer Sarec, a 42-year-old former comedian, to become Slovenia's youngest-ever prime minister. bk/jza/bsp
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