SLOVENIA: Slovenia's centrist opposition leader Mr Janez Jansa has been formally nominated as prime minister-candidate even though he has not yet completed talks on forming a majority coalition.
Mr Jansa was picked by President Janez Drnovsek as the leader of the biggest party after elections last month. Parliament is now expected to vote on Mr Jansa within seven days.
"I expect Jansa will be elected prime minister though it is not necessary that the same parties who will elect him will later be in the government coalition," said Jadranka Rebernik, political analyst of weekly Zurnal.
Mr Jansa (46) is a former Yugoslav communist party rebel and a key figure in Slovenia's drive for independence during the violent break-up of Yugoslavia. He has twice served as a defence minister in both left- and right-led governments.
His centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party captured 29 seats in the 90-member parliament in the October poll, which saw voters swing to the right after 12 years of mostly left-wing rule. The centre-left Liberal Democrats of outgoing Prime Minister Anton Rop saw its share of seats slashed to 23 from 34.
Mr Jansa's potential coalition partners include the conservative New Slovenia Party, the People's Party, and a party representing pensioners.