Slovenia's Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek Photo: Reuters/Srdjan Zivulovic

Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek, who lost a vote for the leadership of her centre-left Positive Slovenia (PS) party in the early hours of yesterday, will reveal her next steps on Tuesday, sources close to the party said.

The sources did not say whether Bratusek would resign or attempt to continue as Prime Minister, but her coalition partners and analysts said her resignation was the most likely option after Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Jankovic regained the PS leadership at a party congress.

“Realistically she does not have other options but to resign,” said Meta Roglic, a political analyst at daily Dnevnik, adding that would lead to elections in September or October.

Bratusek’s three partners in the ruling coalition, who have in the past made clear they would not cooperate with PS if led by Jankovic, the party’s founder, said they expected her resignation and an early election. “With the election of Jankovic the time of this government is over,” Igor Luksic, the president of the second-largest party, the centre-left Social Democrats, told daily Finance.

I can no longer be the Prime Minister if I do not have support within my own party

The centre-right Civic List and pensioners’ party Desus added that they wanted a new election as soon as possible.

Jankovic formed the PS two months before the 2011 election but failed to negotiate a coalition government despite winning the most votes and quit the party helm in February 2013.

He is the target of several corruption investigations, including one related to the construction of a stadium in the capital. He denies any wrongdoing.

Slovenia was the fastest growing eurozone member in 2007 but was badly hit a year later by the global financial crisis. It dodged the need for an international bailout last December by pumping some €3.3 billion into its troubled banks, and expects the economy to grow by 0.5 per cent this year after two consecutive years of recession.

With its borrowing needs covered for 2014, the former Yugoslav republic looks unlikely to have to resort to outside help even if the government collapses. But its fall could delay planned cuts and privatisations aimed at reviving the economy.