(SeaPRwire) – By: Gavin Thorne
Everyone is talking about the far right wave sweeping across Europe. Few have paused to dissect how Janez Janša actually took power. He won the prime minister’s chair without winning the popular vote. This isn’t a one-off glitch in a tiny Central European country. It’s a proven playbook for conservative populists that will be reused elsewhere. Janša’s path to power holds clear lessons for anyone watching global political shifts.
The Slovenian general election was held on March 22 this year. Golob’s Freedom Movement won 29 of 90 legislative seats with 28.7% of the vote. Janša’s Slovenian Democratic Party took 28 seats with 27.9% of the vote. This exact 29-28 split happened before in 2008. Janša won the prime minister post then too, just like this time. Golob tried for a month to form a ruling coalition and failed. No candidate hit the 46 votes needed to earn the presidential nomination.
This is Janša’s fourth non-consecutive term as prime minister. He has been active in Slovenian politics since before independence in 1991. He was imprisoned twice in his career, both times calling the cases politically motivated. Both imprisonments ended after he served just six months. His policy shifts line up closely with Donald Trump’s style of conservative populism. He has already reversed previous left government policies on Israel, immigration, and business regulation. He supports Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia, aligning with most EU hardliners.
After the president declined to nominate any candidate, Janša stepped in. He is widely known as a master builder of parliamentary coalitions. He spent two weeks locking in support from minor parties and minority representatives. The final secret ballot gave his government 51 votes, enough to take power. He picked up two votes from Italian and Hungarian minority representatives. He also got one surprising vote from an anonymous opposition member. This kind of backroom dealmaking is how populists seize power even when they fall short at the polls.
Janša’s ideological alignment with Trump and Orbán is no accident. He openly praises Trump’s immigration policies and just joined 18 other EU leaders to demand a total policy overhaul. The group wants more deportations, less irregular migration, and tougher action on smuggling rings. Janša says this ends “social tourism” and importing voters for left wing parties. Domestically, he plans to cut red tape, shrink government, and build a second nuclear reactor at Krško. He has battled Slovenian media for years, with critics calling him a threat to democracy. He posts late night rants attacking opponents on X, just like Trump did for years.
More populist candidates across Europe will use this “lose the vote, win the office” playbook in the next five years.
Author bio: Gavin Thorne, investigative journalist tracking special interests and legislative affairs based in Washington, D.C.