PM Seeks Confidence Vote
"It is only with a clear mandate in my own party and a clear consensus of the entire government that we can bring Slovenia out of this uncertainty that is difficult to manage," she said.
Bratušek did not specify whether she would tie the confidence vote to measures to generate fresh tax revenue or whether it would be an independent motion. She will wait for Sunday's coalition meeting before taking a decision.
The vote will be about "trust and the question of whether we are all willing to work for Slovenia and its citizens," she told reporters, noting that it is "right to check whether I still have the support of 46 MPs to take Slovenia to a brighter future."
"The coalition cannot be effective in the absence of fundamental consensus that is stronger than any coalition agreement - consensus that we are here to find solutions to problems," she said.
Bratušek also plans to test her support in the Positive Slovenia (PS). She has ordered the executive committee to convene as soon as possible a party congress at which she plans to seek the party presidency.
"In the Positive Slovenia we have not been forward-looking for some time. But we have to start looking ahead."
Bratušek has been a caretaker PS president of sorts after Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković stepped down amidst corruption allegations over a year ago, but media reports suggest he has recently started reasserting his position in the party.
Indeed, the move comes in the aftermath of a rebellion in the ranks of the PS, apparently fomented by Janković, as several PS deputies suggested they would vote in favour of an ouster motion against Interior Minister Gregor Virant today in what would be a show of Janković's continued strength in the party.
As for today's vote, Bratušek said PS deputies were free to decide how they will vote. "This is their right and their responsibility."