Il Nuovo Postiglione - Slovenia liberals, conservatives in neck and neck race

Jansa has been eyeing a comeback, after Golob as a political newcomer took over from him in 2022, leading a three-party centre-left coalition in the ex-Yugoslav nation, a European Union member of two million people.

Foreign interference claims shook the campaign, with authorities probing whether an Israeli company was behind secretly recorded videos suggesting alleged graft in Golob's government.

Both parties stood around 28 percent, with more than 90 percent of the votes counted, according to the election commission.

With the rest of the vote shared around a disparate mosaic of smaller parties, analysts predict it will be difficult for either side to form a stable government.

"What seems clear is that it will be very tight," Uros Esih, a columnist at one of Slovenia's leading dailies Delo, told AFP.

An anti-establishment party and a conservative party formed by a former Jansa ally have also managed to enter parliament, fragmenting it further.

"We are not going to form weak governments," Jansa said at his party headquarters earlier after an exit poll gave Golob's party a narrow lead, adding he was awaiting the final results.

- 'Sovereignty' -

Golob, 59, urged Slovenians to cast their ballots when he voted.

"Democracy and Slovenia's sovereignty cannot be taken for granted anymore," the former power company manager told reporters.

Under Golob, Slovenia legalised same-sex marriage and became one of the few EU countries to describe Israel's war in Gaza as "genocide"

In his campaign, Jansa, 67, pledged to put Slovenians "at the forefront" and restore "Slovenian values" such as the "traditional family" and "close the pipe" of state money to NGOs deemed political parties.

"Slovenian voters have the power of their vote in their hands only today. And if this power is not used, Slovenia will slide backwards instead of catching up with developed Europe," he told reporters after casting his vote.

The last government of three-time premier Jansa -- an ally of nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- saw mass protests and EU criticism over rule-of-law concerns.

Tine Maher, 30, an AI and IT entrepreneur, told AFP at a Ljubljana polling station that he expected "a change of the government, it's really necessary. There have been many empty promises."

- 'Ugly' video scandal -

Ivana Prijatelj, a pensioner from Ljubljana, said she was "satisfied with how things are right now".

"Nothing is wrong now, at least for me," she told AFP at a polling station, adding she did not listen to the secretly recorded videos, saying the whole affair was "too ugly".

Golob this week asked the EU to probe alleged election interference following the publication of the videos.

The videos allegedly show the officials suggesting ways to influence decision makers in Golob's government to speed up procedures or win contracts.

A civil society group, together with an investigative journalist and two researchers, early this week accused Black Cube of being behind the videos and linked it to Jansa's party.

Jansa has admitted to having met a Black Cube official, but has denied being behind the videos.

A.Imbrogno--INP