Addressing reporters after five and a half hours long session of the party council, DL president Gregor Virant said last night that the no-confidence vote should lead either to an early election or a "good government".

He got the mandate for talks on a new government, but Virant also said the party's condition for "any talks with the opposition parties on a government or coalition" remained Zoran Janković's full resignation from the post of president of Positive Slovenia (PS).

Šušteršič decided not to put himself forward as a candidate for finance minister in a potential government for two reasons, one being the policies advocated by some other parties and the other that he would not want to "get in the way".

Neither in the way of the DL in potential talks, nor would he want to push himself on those who say in advance that they do not want him in the government, DL vice-president Šušteršič said in response to the Social Democrats (SD) indicating they would not participate in a government with him as finance minister.

"If this is the only thing that needs to be done so that Slovenia can get a good government, this is great and it may be a lesson to all those who are in the way and are pushing themselves on some but have been unable to withdraw in recent months," Šušteršič.

He said that he was not pressured by the party to take the decision and that the party council was unanimous that it was necessary to advocate in coalition talks the idea that the DL ministers had done a good job and that they should continue their work.

But he does not think he could do as good a job as a minister as in the past year in a potential new government because of the statements made and because of differences in party platforms. "Sacrificing another year of life for something I didn't believe can be carried out just makes no sense."

Šušteršič assured reporters that the DL was not in a crisis and was not facing a rift, while Virant underscored the party's support for Šušteršič's work as finance minister, adding that "conditions by other parties as to who is acceptable and who not are just unacceptable".

The only acceptable condition "is not to cooperate with corrupt politicians", Virant said. The party has been insisting that PM Janez Janša and PS president and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković resign after being found in breach of anti-graft law.

The decision by the DL party council to back a constructive no-confidence vote (which includes a vote on a candidate for a new PM-designate) in principle was not taken unanimously, but Virant repeated that this was the only way to an early election or a good government.

Šušteršič, along with former Justice and Public Administration Minister Senko Pličanič and some other party members, advocated a minority position. Šušteršič said that before entering talks on a new government, the party should know who was the candidate for PM-designate and what their programme was.

Šušteršič also said that all political processes can be carried out in a such a way that the country remains liquid and does need to ask for financial aid, but he said the key condition was to set up the bad bank and tackle problems in the banking sector.

Unless that is tackled, "it will make little difference what government is formed, because we'll get a government that will come from Brussels, Washington and Frankfurt". This is also the reason Šušteršič does not want to get involved in talks with "people who keep saying this is a failed project that needs to be revised", he said in a reference to the bad bank.