Slovenia's opposition Social Democrats and their two coalition partners defeated the ruling centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) in a parliamentary election yesterday, according to Preliminary official results. With around 97 per cent of the votes counted, the Social Democrats (SD) won 30.6 per cent of votes, against 29.2 per cent for Prime Minister Janez Jansa's SDS, the State Electoral Commission said on its website.

According to partial results, the SD and its two centre-left allies, Zares and the Liberal Democrats, would together control some 43 seats in the 90-member parliament, versus 40 seats for the SDS and its present coalition partners.

A pensioners' party, Desus, which had been a junior partner in Jansa's ruling coalition and is likely to get seven seats, was expected to side with the winner.

Official results, which will include the votes from abroad that represent some 2.7 per cent of the electoral body, are expected by October 1.

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