Exit polls indicated Sunday that Slovenia's left-leaning opposition was poised for victory in parliamentary elections, defeating Prime Minister Janez Jansa's party after a hard- fought campaign which centred on the economy and corruption allegations, according to DPA. Exit polls released by two broadcasters as the voting centres closed gave the main opposition Social Democrats about 32 per cent of the vote to about 28 per cent for Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party. Combined with votes for two other left-leaning parties, opposition leader Borut Pahor appeared headed for a governing majority in the 90-seat parliament. Jansa has led Slovenia, a European Union nation sandwiched between the Alps and the Adriatic, for the past four years. A prominent dissident in communist-era Yugoslavia, he congratulated Pahor on the victory, pending confirmation of the results. Jansa, 50, ran on his leadership of one of eastern Europe's most successful economies, a nation of 2 million that joined the EU in 2004 and switched to the euro in 2007. But he has been dogged by inflation since Slovenia joined the eurozone - and by claims in a Finnish television report that he received part of 21 million euros (30 million dollars) that arms maker Patria allegedly paid in bribes to win a Slovenian defence contract. Jansa strongly denied the allegations and portrayed it as a smear attempt by former communists. He dubbed the election campaign the dirtiest since Slovenia won independence from the old Yugoslavia in a 10-day war in 1991. Pahor, 44, played on Slovenians' constant grumbling about rising prices during the campaign. Slovenia's export-driven economy expanded by 5.5 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter. But inflation, while retreating, stood at 6 per cent in August, the eurozone's highest. In Sunday's voting, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk's New Slovenia party dropped from 9 per cent in 2004 to below the 4 per cent threshold for winning seats in parliament. Jansa's party won 29.1 per cent in 2004 parliamentary elections and has led a coalition with three smaller conservative parties, including Bajuk's. Slovenia is the richest former Yugoslav republic and the only one in the EU. It also joined the NATO military alliance in 2004.
