Idrija - Prime Minister Janez Janša dismissed no-confidence motions sought by the centre-left opposition against two members of his government as being groundless on Wednesday, saying the attempts were rather tragicomic considering they were coming this late in the term.

"Opposition as a rule doesn't file for interpellation motions in the last few months before the end of the term but focuses on setting out its platform in a bid to show they are a better alternative to the government," Janša told Planet TV during a visit to the western region about the ouster motions targeting Education Minister Simona Kustec and Justice Minster Marjan Dikaučič.

In a jab at the opposition parties and their cooperation talks, Janša wondered if the most they could agree on was how to bring a motion of no confidence, "how then would they cope with the epidemic, the complex problems the government is coping with where each hour more things need to be agreed than they are capable of agreeing in four years".

"How can anyone imagine such people will be capable of signing a coalition agreement about doing something positive," Janša commented for the public broadcaster TV Slovenija.

Kustec and Dikaučič's party boss, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said they both enjoyed his full trust.

"The opposition keeps giving us work. It will keep MPs and both ministers busy for a few days, while the rest of us will keep doing our job. There's still quite some time left until the end of the term and we want to deliver on all of what we wrote down in the coalition agreement by then," Počivalšek said in Tolmin.

Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the leader of New Slovenia (NSi) said it was up to those who proposed the motions if they thought it wisest to invest energy in that direction.

"For my part, I believe it's right for us to invest our energy into the challenges awaiting us such as the Covid crisis, economic recovery, digitalisation and many other things. It's a matter of priorities. We've decided above all to show solutions to Slovenians, they've decided their priority will be to point at what they believe the government is doing wrong," said Tonin.

He answered in the negative when asked by TV Slovenija whether the NSi was aware of proceedings running against Dikaučič.

The news web portal 24ur reported earlier this week that prosecution was seeking for the court to open a formal investigation against Dikaučič on suspicion of tax evasion at his previous job. The minister has denied the allegation.

Počivalšek called those false accusations that he said were being repeated. "Minister Dikaučič has said what he had to say. He's cleared things up."

The centre-left opposition filed ouster motions against Dikaučič and Kustec on Monday, accusing the justice minister of unlawful call for the appointment of European delegated prosecutors, and the education minister of neglecting preparations for another Covid-marked school year.

Kustec would not comment on the motion today, saying she would respond to the charges in parliament, while Dikaučič told TV Slovenija the allegations in the motion and those of tax evasion were ungrounded. Asked whether he enjoyed support in the coalition, he said he thought he did.