Slovenia's prime minister is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he has sent his resignation to parliament.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier on Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 16 miles of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. </s> LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia’s prime minister says he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government’s plan to build 27 kilometres (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts. </s> LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said that he has sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president on Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary elections — which were due in early June — would be held a few weeks earlier.

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 27 (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the railway project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set. </s> Slovenia Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned late Wednesday over a Supreme Court decision nullifying a referendum in favor of a major railroad project.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back," Cerar said in his resignation note to parliament. "The second track project has been hit by another blow taken by those who want to stop Slovenia's positive development. I don't want to be part of such stories."

He plans to submit his resignation to President Borut Pahor Thursday.

Voters in September approved the $1.2 billion project to extend a key rail line from an Adriatic port to the Italian border.

But the Slovenian Supreme Court ordered a new vote, saying the government unfairly influenced voters to approve the project.

Cerar said the rail line would be of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia."

Cerar says his center-left coalition is leaving the country in much better economic shape than it was when it took power in 2014.

Parliamentary elections are set for June, but Cerar's resignation may move them up. </s> LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) - Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said that he has sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary election, which was due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

"I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation," Cerar said in a statement broadcast live in Slovenia. "You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support."

FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the railway project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set. </s> Slovenia’s prime minister has said he will resign after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Slovenia’s prime minister has said he will resign after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he has sent his resignation to Parliament and will formally notify the president on Thursday.

The move means that Slovenia’s parliamentary election, which was due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier. “I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation,” Mr Cerar said in a statement broadcast live in Slovenia.

“You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support.”

“During my term, the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in the EU,” he said. “We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009.” The government has also faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed on Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier on Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote. The referendum last September approved the government’s plan to build 16 miles of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts. Mr Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Mr Cerar said the railway project is of “strategic importance for the development of Slovenia”. He complained that “some are jeopardising Slovenia’s development”. </s> Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar tendered his resignation Wednesday after a court annulled the result of a government referendum.

"The forces of the past do not allow us to work for future generations," Cerar told a press conference. "I am tendering my resignation."

Earlier Wednesday the constitutional court invalidated the result of a referendum which approved a flagship government infrastructure project, the upgrading of transport links to Koper port on the Adriatic coast.

The referendum, held in September 2017, resulted in a vote in favour of the building of a new railway line to service the town, Slovenia's only major commercial port.

The constitutional court found that the government had not acted with due impartiality as it spent public money to back a yes vote for the scheme.

The ruling came amid a backdrop of a wave of public sector strikes over pay in recent months and ahead of parliamentary elections which are due in June.

Cerar said the ruling over the referendum was "the drop of water which made the vase overflow" for his fractious three-party coalition government.

He said it was up to President Borut Pahor to decide whether or not to bring forward the elections.

Former law professor Cerar, 54, took office in 2014 when his SMC party scored a stunning electoral victory just one month after being created, having vowed to lead Slovenia back from the edge of economic crisis. </s> FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia’s parliamentary elections, which were due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

“I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation,” Cerar said in a statement broadcast live. “You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support.”

Cerar also praised his center-left government’s achievements in curbing an economic downturn in the tiny European Union nation of 2 million people that is the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

“During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU,” he said. “We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009.”

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the railway project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum in September approved the government’s plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic, who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the rail project is of “strategic importance for the development of Slovenia.” He complained that “some are jeopardizing Slovenia’s development.”

The date for the new referendum wasn’t immediately set.

___

Associated Press Writer Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report. </s> LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary elections, which were due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

"I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation," Cerar said in a statement broadcast live. "You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support."

Cerar also praised his center-left government's achievements in curbing an economic downturn in the tiny European Union nation of 2 million people that is the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the railway project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum in September approved the government's plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic, who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the rail project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set. </s> The opposition anti-immigrant centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) was set to win the Slovenian general election on Sunday with 24.4 percent of the votes, according to exit polls by the national TV channel TV Slovenia. But the party’s leader, Janez Jansa, said forming a government would not be easy, as he cast his ballot in a town in the country’s east.

LMS, the centre-left party of the mayor of Kamnik, Marjan Sarec, followed with 12.6 per cent of the vote.

In a hugely fragmented vote, the Adriatic country’s 1.7 million-strong electorate chose between 25 parties, with final opinion polls putting the centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) first on up to 24.5 percent. But most other parties have said they are reluctant to join a coalition with the SDS, and Mr Jansa acknowledged any post-election negotiations would be difficult.

“We will probably have to wait for some time [after the election] before serious talks on a new government will be possible,” Mr Jansa – a two-time prime minister – told reporters after voting in the village of Sentilj, near Velenje. The election was called in March after centre-left prime minister Miro Cerar resigned, weeks before the scheduled end of his term of office, after the Supreme Court ordered a new referendum on a railway investment project championed by his government.

According to a Mediana poll published by daily newspaper Delo on Friday, Mr Cerar’s Party of the Modern Centre was running third with around 6.8 per cent, behind the centre-left List of Marjan Sarec, the mayor of the city of Kamnik, on 8.2 per cent.

The divided nature of the vote means the SDS would need to ally with at least two other parties to gain a majority in the 90-seat parliament. But so far most other parties have demurred at joining forces with the SDS, which has the open support of Hungary’s nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban.

“We believe that today a first step will be made towards Slovenia becoming a country that will put the wellbeing and security of Slovenians first,” Mr Jansa said.

Analysts said the SDS would win, but predicting what the future government might look like was hard, and another election could not be ruled out. “It seems clear that the SDS will win but everything else about this election is unclear because the question is whether the SDS will be able to form a government coalition,” said Meta Roglic, a political analyst with daily Dnevnik.

Otilia Dhand of political risk advisory firm Teneo Intelligence described the election as an open race. “The real winner will be the party that can form a coalition with a majority of seats in a likely highly fragmented parliament,” she said.

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided an international bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to growth in 2014. The outgoing government expects the economy to expand by 5.1 per cent this year versus 5 per cent in 2017, boosted by exports, investments and household spending.

High on the agenda for the next government will be the privatisation of the country’s largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, which the previous administration agreed to sell in exchange for European Commission approval of state aid for it in 2013.

The next cabinet will also be expected to reform an inefficient state health sector and Slovenia’s pension system. “I want changes for the better, particularly in the health sector and judiciary. I was quite disappointed with the current government so I will not vote for them,” said Sonja, a 60-year-old retired teacher who voted in Ljubljana. Some other voters praised the outgoing government.

“I expect that things will be at least as good as now or a bit better. I hope we get another centre-left government although I do agree changes are needed, particularly in the health sector,” said 52-year-old pharmacist Vida.
Miro Cerar announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Slovenia, due to the Supreme Court of Slovenia's annulment of the referendum that approved building a railway between Koper and Divača, a project which he calls "strategic".