Polls open in Slovenia with conservatives eyeing comeback

Slovenians began voting on Sunday in tight parliamentary elections, with the conservative Janez Jansa eyeing a comeback. Jansa return could take an illiberal turn again after four years of centre-left rule under liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob. In his campaign, he had pledged to restore Slovenian values such as the traditional family and close the pipe of state money to NGOs deemed political parties.

On the other side, Golob said in Friday's debate that voters had right to decide what kind of Slovenia they want. Golob’s government has been a strong liberal voice in the EU bloc while a victory of Jansa would strengthen Europe’s surging populist groups.