A newcomer party to Slovenia’s general election walked away with a landslide victory on Sunday, beating the country’s populist prime minister by an unanticipatedly wide margin. With more than 97 percent of ballots counted, officials said the liberal Freedom Movement—formed in January—had won roughly 34 percent of the vote, while Prime Minister Janez Janša’s conservative Slovenian Democratic party trailed with around 24 percent support. The Freedom Movement’s leader, former executive Robert Golob, addressed the victory in a video message. “People really want change,” he said. “Today people are dancing, but tomorrow a new day begins. Tomorrow we’ll start working hard.” The party is expected to form the next government in coalition with smaller liberal parties. Its agenda, according to Golob, includes bolstering health care and transitioning to green energy. Jansa, a 63-year-old populist veteran and avowed Donald Trump fan, conceded the loss and congratulated the “relative winner” of the race in a speech, according to the Associated Press. “The results are as they are,” he said. “Many challenges lie ahead for the new government, whatever it may look like, but the foundations are solid.”
