Ljubljana - As Freedom Movement leader Robert Golob, the presumptive prime minister-designate, announced his wish to create a strong liberal bloc, including by cooperating with the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB), the two parties said that they were inclined to consolidation in the centre-left.

Giving an interview Monday night at a special livestreamed show, Golob spoke openly about the wish to merge his party with the LMŠ and SAB, two small liberal parties that have failed to make it to parliament, in a bid to create a strong liberal bloc ahead of the local election scheduled for November.

To do that, he plans to offer the leaders of both parties, Alenka Bratušek and Marjan Šarec, ministerial posts.

The most likely candidate for the prime minister-designate reiterated that, in forming the government, the Freedom Movement would also talk with parties that had failed to make it to parliament under the criteria of expertise of staff.

While the LMŠ and SAB have been left below the parliamentary threshold, their presidents are reportedly tipped to become ministers - Šarec is mentioned among the potential candidates for the minister of regional development and Bratušek for the minister of intergenerational solidarity.

The parties did not want to comment on this for STA on Tuesday, saying this was a matter of negotiations between the future coalition partners. They also noted that Golob himself would announce the ministerial candidates to the public this week.

In informal talks, the LMŠ and the SAB have been in favour of consolidation of the centre-left. They however note that formal talks are yet to start and that any possible cooperation or merger must be discussed by the bodies of individual parties.

LMŠ deputy Robert Pavšič, who is among the candidates for the secretary general of the National Assembly, told the STA that it would be sensible for the parties to form an alliance ahead of the autumn local and presidential elections.

Roman Jakič, the head of the SAB council, added that "some members in informal talks" were inclined to an alliance, assessing that a "historically appropriate moment has arrived to create a strong liberal party on the centre-left."

He noted that Golob himself had publicly said that he was in talks with the presidents of the LMŠ and SAB, and because the parties "have fallen for freedom", Jakič assessed that such an idea by Golob is appropriate.

As the SAB executive committee last week endorsed Bratušek to continue to preside the party, deputy group head Maša Kociper told the STA today that the committee had also expressed inclination to a link-up of centre-left parties.