Talks on the formation of a new government are heading in the right direction, Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) president Karl Erjavec said after the meeting with Gregor Virant of the Citizens' List (DL) and Radovan Žerjav of the Peoples' Party (SLS).

Indeed, Erjavec voiced the hope that they will secure enough votes until the next session of parliament, which starts in early March, to seek a no-confidence vote, while Virant said Slovenia needed "a stable and trustworthy government fast".

In the event a no-confidence vote is sought, a new prime minister designate needs to be put forward along with the motion.

The trio would not speak about possible candidates, but media reports suggest former central bank governor France Arhar and Stojan Petrič, the boss of industrial conglomerate Kolektor, are among the top contenders.

Erjavec would not comment on the names, but he said the candidate would "definitely be a trustworthy person".

In order to secure enough votes for a no-confidence vote, the trio need the backing of the Positive Slovenia (PS) and Social Democrats (SD). Erjavec said a meeting with both parties would be held shortly.

SD deputy group head Janko Veber said today that the party would support the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. There are "no problems" regarding the no-confidence vote in the party and all ten of its deputies would support it.

"We are aware that this procedure can result in an early election," Veber told the press, adding that when somebody new is endorsed to form the government, the SD will see as a priority the resolving of issues related to the management of state-assets.

The SD, which has seen a surge in the polls, has so far voiced preference for an early election over an interim government, with party head Igor Lukšič saying yesterday that there was "no basis for forming a new solid majority in parliament in the next couple of months".

The PS, meanwhile, has been garnering support for a "project coalition", but other parties have been cautious, arguing that Zoran Janković, who merely "froze" his presidency of the party, needed to completely disappear from the picture in order for that to happen.