Anti-migrant party leads ahead of snap Slovenia vote: poll

Slovenia's conservative and anti-migrant Democratic Party (SDS) will likely come first in snap elections due on June 3, according to an opinion poll published yesterday.

The SDS, led by former prime minister Janez Jansa and backed by Hungary's firebrand nationalist Prime Minister Victor Orban, is on 24.5 percent in the poll published by the daily Dnevnik newspaper.

That would leave it as the largest party but facing an uphill task in commanding a majority in parliament.

The poll has "anti-system" candidate and former comedian Marjan Sarec and his LMS party as the second biggest force on 16.3 percent.

That would leave Sarec as a possible kingmaker, and he has ruled out a coalition with the SDS.

"Spreading fear (of migrants) and getting the prime minister of a neighbouring country (Orban) involved in our elections, has crossed all the lines and I and our members do not see ourselves in such a constellation," Sarec recently told AFP.

Orban took part in an SDS party convention earlier this month and repeated his long-held opposition to the European Union's migration policy, saying migrants will continue coming as long as the EU continues to invite them.

"A victory for the SDS and Jansa would ensure the survival of the Slovenian people," he added.

Almost half a million people crossed Slovenia during the migrant crisis in late 2015 and early 2016, but only a tiny fraction of them stayed in the country, with most heading on to northern Europe.

In third place in Dnevnik's poll are the Social Democrats (SD) on 14.4 percent, followed by the party of outgoing Prime Minister Miro Cerar (SMC), on 10.1 percent support, and the pensioners' interests party DESUS, on 8.9 percent.

All three parties served in the outgoing government and have all ruled out an alliance with Jansa's SDS.

The only party that says it would be open to governing with Jansa is the centre-right Nova Slovenija (NSi), which the poll has on a 7.1 percent.

June's vote was called following Cerar's resignation in March.