Prime Minister of Slovenia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids President of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia |
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Government of Slovenia Office of the Prime Minister |
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Style | Mr Prime Minister (formal) President of the Government (Slovene: Gospod predsednik vlade) Mr President (informal) (Slovene: Gospod predsednik) His Excellency (diplomatic) (Slovene: Njegova ekscelenca) |
Member of | Government of Slovenia European Council (EU) Euro summit (EU) National Security Council North Atlantic Council (NATO) |
Reports to | National Assembly |
Residence | None |
Seat |
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Nominator | President |
Appointer | National Assembly |
Term length | No term limit |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Slovenia |
Inaugural holder | Lojze Peterle |
Formation | 16 May 1990 23 December 1991 (de jure) (de facto) |
Salary | €76,586 annually |
Website | www.vlada.si/predsednik_vlade |
The Prime Minister of Slovenia is the main leader of the Government in Slovenia. Their official title is the President of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (in Slovene: Predsednik Vlade Republike Slovenije). This person is like the captain of a team that runs the country.
Since Slovenia became a parliamentary democracy in 1989, nine people have held this important job. The prime minister is chosen by the President of the Republic. The President talks with different political parties in the National Assembly (which is like Slovenia's parliament). After these talks, the President suggests a candidate. This candidate then needs to be voted for by a simple majority of the National Assembly.
If the first candidate doesn't get enough votes, they try again. If no one gets enough votes after a few tries, the President might have to call for new elections. Usually, the person chosen as prime minister is the leader of the biggest political party or the main party in a group of parties working together. The National Assembly can only remove a prime minister if they also agree on a new person to take their place. The prime minister also leads the National Security Council, which deals with the country's safety.
Contents
How the Prime Minister Is Chosen
The Prime Minister of Slovenia is elected by the National Assembly. This process involves several steps to make sure the chosen person has enough support.
First Vote
After a parliamentary election, the new National Assembly meets. The President of Slovenia talks with the leaders of all the political groups. The goal is to find a candidate who can get at least 46 votes (an absolute majority) in the National Assembly. The President then officially suggests this candidate. The National Assembly votes on the candidate within seven days. Before the vote, the candidate explains their plans for the government. If they are elected, they start forming a new government.
Second Vote
If no prime minister is chosen in the first vote, a second vote happens. The President can suggest the same person again or a new candidate. Other groups in the National Assembly can also suggest candidates. The vote takes place within seven days. If there are many candidates, the National Assembly votes on the President's choice first. If that person isn't elected, they vote on the other candidates. An absolute majority (46 votes) is needed to win.
If the National Assembly still doesn't elect a prime minister, the President usually calls for new elections. However, the National Assembly can decide to have a third vote within 48 hours.
Third Vote
In the third vote, the prime minister can be elected with a simpler majority (more votes for them than against them, even if it's not 46 votes). They first vote on candidates from the earlier rounds. If no one wins, they vote on new suggestions. If a prime minister is elected, a new government is formed. If not, the President dissolves the National Assembly, and new elections are held.
Taking the Oath
The prime minister officially starts their job after all their chosen ministers take an oath in front of the National Assembly. The prime minister takes their own oath after being elected.
The oath is a promise to serve the country. It says: "I swear that I shall uphold the constitutional order, that I shall act according to my conscience and that I shall do all in my power for the good of Slovenia. "
Prime Ministers of Independent Slovenia
Slovenia gained independence in 1991. Since then, several people have served as prime minister. Here is a list of the prime ministers of the Republic of Slovenia.
Social democrats (1); ZLSD / SD Social liberals (6); LDS PS ZaAB / SAB SMC LMŠ GS Christian democrats (2); SKD SLS NSi National conservatives (1); SDSS / SDS |
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Coalition | National Assembly | President (term) |
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Took office | Left office | Days | ||||||||||
1 | ![]() |
Lojze Peterle (born 1948) |
16 May 1990 | 14 May 1992 | 729 | SKD |
• | SKD–SDZ–SLS–SDSS–ZS | C (1990) | M. Kučan (1990–2002) | ||
2 | ![]() |
Janez Drnovšek (1950–2008) |
14 May 1992 | 25 January 1993 | 2,946 | LDS | I | LDS–DS–SDS–SSS–ZS–ZLSD | 1 (1992) | |||
25 January 1993 | 27 February 1997 | II | LDS–SKD–SDS (1993–1994)–ZLSD (1993–1996) | |||||||||
27 February 1997 | 7 June 2000 | III | LDS–SLS–DeSUS | 2 (1996) | ||||||||
3 | ![]() |
Andrej Bajuk (1943–2011) |
7 June 2000 | 4 August 2000 | 176 | SLS | • | SLS–SKD–SDS | ||||
4 August 2000 | 30 November 2000 | NSi | ||||||||||
(2) | ![]() |
Janez Drnovšek (1950–2008) |
30 November 2000 | 19 December 2002 | 749 | LDS | IV | LDS–SLS–DeSUS–ZLSD | 3 (2000) | |||
4 | ![]() |
Anton Rop (born 1960) |
19 December 2002 | 3 December 2004 | 715 | LDS | • | LDS–SLS–DeSUS–ZLSD | J. Drnovšek (2002–2007) | |||
5 | ![]() |
Janez Janša (born 1958) |
3 December 2004 | 21 November 2008 | 1,449 | SDS | I | SDS–NSi–SLS–DeSUS | 4 (2004) | |||
6 | ![]() |
Borut Pahor (born 1963) |
21 November 2008 | 10 February 2012 | 1,176 | SD | • | SD–DeSUS (2008–2011)–LDS–Zares (2008–2011) | 5 (2008) | D. Türk (2007–2012) | ||
(5) | ![]() |
Janez Janša (born 1958) |
10 February 2012 | 20 March 2013 | 404 | SDS | II | SDS–NSi–SLS–DeSUS–DL | 6 (2011) | |||
7 | ![]() |
Alenka Bratušek (born 1970) |
20 March 2013 | 18 September 2014 | 547 | PS | • | PS–DeSUS–DL–SD–ZaAB (2014) | B. Pahor (2012–2022) | |||
ZaAB | ||||||||||||
8 | ![]() |
Miro Cerar (born 1963) |
18 September 2014 | 13 September 2018 | 1,456 | SMC | • | SMC–SD–DeSUS | 7 (2014) | |||
9 | ![]() |
Marjan Šarec (born 1977) |
13 September 2018 | 3 March 2020 | 537 | LMŠ | • | LMŠ–SD–SMC–SAB–DeSUS, with Levica support | 8 (2018) | |||
(5) | ![]() |
Janez Janša (born 1958) |
3 March 2020 | 25 May 2022 | 813 | SDS | III | SDS–SMC–DeSUS (2020–2021)–NSi, with SNS support | ||||
10 | ![]() |
Robert Golob (born 1967) |
25 May 2022 | Incumbent | 1,157 | GS | • | GS (LMŠ–SAB, 2022)–SD–Levica | 9 (2022) | |||
N. Pirc Musar (2022–) |
Prime Minister Facts
This section shares some interesting facts about the people who have been Prime Minister of Slovenia.
No. | Prime Minister | Date of birth | Age at inauguration (first term) |
Time in office (total) |
Age at retirement (last term) |
Date of death | Longevity |
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1 | Alojz Peterle | 5 July 1948 | 41 years, 315 days | 1 year, 364 days | 43 years, 314 days | Living | 77 years, 20 days (living) |
2 | Janez Drnovšek | 17 May 1950 | 41 years, 363 days | 10 years, 45 days | 52 years, 216 days | 23 February 2008 | 57 years, 282 days |
3 | Andrej Bajuk | October 18, 1943 | 56 years, 233 days | 176 days | 57 years, 43 days | 16 August 2011 | 67 years, 302 days |
4 | Anton Rop | 27 December 1960 | 41 years, 357 days | 1 year, 350 days | 43 years, 342 days | Living | 64 years, 210 days (living) |
5 | Janez Janša | 17 September 1958 | 46 years, 77 days | 7 years, 109 days | 63 years, 250 days | Living | 66 years, 311 days (living) |
6 | Borut Pahor | 2 November 1963 | 45 years, 19 days | 3 years, 81 days | 48 years, 100 days | Living | 61 years, 265 days (living) |
7 | Alenka Bratušek | 31 March 1970 | 42 years, 354 days | 1 year, 182 days | 44 years, 171 days | Living | 55 years, 116 days (living) |
8 | Miro Cerar | 25 August 1963 | 51 years, 24 days | 3 years, 360 days | 55 years, 19 days | Living | 61 years, 334 days (living) |
9 | Marjan Šarec | 2 December 1977 | 40 years, 285 days | 1 year, 182 days | 42 years, 102 days | Living | 47 years, 235 days (living) |
10 | Robert Golob | 23 January 1967 | 55 years, 122 days | ongoing | Incumbent | Living | 58 years, 183 days (living) |
Prime Minister Timeline
This timeline shows when each prime minister served and which political party they belonged to.

Deputy Prime Ministers
A Deputy Prime Minister is a special title given to some ministers in the government. They usually lead other parties that are part of the ruling group. This title doesn't give them extra duties beyond their role as a minister. Often, there are several Deputy Prime Ministers in a government.
List of Deputy Prime Ministers
Government | Deputy Prime Ministers | Took office | Left office | |||
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Prime Minister | Name | Party | Other functions in the government | |||
I
Lojze Peterle |
Mitja Malešič | None; responsible for social activities | 16 May 1990 | 14 May 1992 | ||
Jože Mencinger | None; responsible for economy | 16 May 1990 | 8 May 1991 | |||
Andrej Ocvirk | None; responsible for economy | 8 May 1991 | 14 May 1992 | |||
Leopold Šešerko | None; responsible for environment and regional development | 16 May 1990 | 14 May 1992 | |||
II | Jože Pučnik | SDSS | None | 14 May 1992 | 25 January 1993 | |
Herman Rigelnik | LDS | None | 14 May 1992 | 25 January 1993 | ||
Viktor Žakelj | LDS | None | 14 May 1992 | 25 January 1993 | ||
IV | Marjan Podobnik | SLS | 27 February 1997 | 15 April 2000 | ||
X | Radovan Žerjav | SLS | Minister of Economic Development and Technology | 10 February 2010 | 25 February 2013 | |
Karl Erjavec | DeSUS | Minister of Foreign Affairs | 10 February 2010 | 22 February 2013 | ||
Ljudmila Novak | NSi | Minister without portfolio for Slovenians Abroad | 10 February 2010 | 20 March 2013 | ||
XI | Dejan Židan | SD | Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food | 20 March 2013 | 18 September 2014 | |
Gregor Virant | DL | Minister of the Interior and Public Administration | 20 March 2013 | 18 September 2014 | ||
Karl Erjavec | DeSUS | Minister of Foreign Affairs | 20 March 2013 | 18 September 2014 | ||
XII
Miro Cerar |
Boris Koprivnikar | SMC | Minister of Public Administration | 18 September 2014 | 13 September 2018 | |
Karl Erjavec | DeSUS | Minister of Foreign Affairs | 18 September 2014 | 13 September 2018 | ||
Dejan Židan | SD | Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food | 18 September 2014 | 13 September 2018 | ||
XIII | Andrej Bertoncelj | LMŠ | Minister of Finance | 13 September 2018 | 13 March 2020 | |
Jernej Pikalo | SD | Minister of Education, Science and Sport | 13 September 2018 | 13 March 2020 | ||
Miro Cerar | SMC | Minister of Foreign Affairs | 13 September 2018 | 13 March 2020 | ||
Alenka Bratušek | SAB | Minister of Infrastructure | 13 September 2018 | 13 March 2020 | ||
Karl Erjavec | DeSUS | Minister of Defence | 13 September 2018 | 13 March 2020 | ||
XIV | Zdravko Počivalšek | SMC | Minister of Economic Development and Technology | 13 March 2020 | 1 June 2022 | |
Matej Tonin | NSi | Minister of Defence | 13 March 2020 | 1 June 2022 | ||
Aleksandra Pivec | DeSUS | Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food | 13 March 2020 | 5 October 2020 | ||
XV | Tanja Fajon | SD | Minister of Foreign and European Affairs | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | |
Luka Mesec | The Left | Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | ||
Danijel Bešič Loredan | GS | Minister of Health | 1 June 2022 | 13 July 2023 |
See also
In Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno de Eslovenia para niños
- Government of Slovenia
- President of Slovenia