Jan 6 (Reuters) - Slovenia will hold parliamentary elections on March 22 after President Natasa Pirc-Musar signed a decree on Tuesday calling for a poll in the NATO and European Union member state, in what will likely be a closely-contested race.
"The decree... marks the start of an important period for democracy in which citizens will again decide on the future direction of our country," Pirc-Musar said in a statement.
Since June 2022, Slovenia has been run by the centre-left coalition government of Prime Minister Robert Golob, comprising ministers from Golob's Freedom Movement party, Social Democrats and the Left. Populist former premier Janez Jansa leading the SDS party has remained the bloc's strongest opposition.
Pirc-Musar said that she wanted a new government to be formed quickly and that she would award the mandate "to the one who brings in 46 votes" in the 90-member parliament.
She also appealed to representatives of political parties and media to keep the pre-election rhetoric calm and focus on finding solutions to the challenges facing society rather than on divisions.
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson)
