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Mencinger, 73, a retired professor of economics, was economy minister in the first democratically elected Slovenian government in 1990-1991 and served as chancellor of the University of Ljubljana in 2001-2005.

A frequent participant in public debates, he is best known as a staunch advocate of national interest in economics, a position that has earned him much criticism from younger economists. He is considered an eurosceptic although he describes himself as a "eurorealist".

Liberal parties that belong to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) have been strongly encouraged to come up with a joint list, including from senior ALDE officials.

There was even talk of European Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik as the top liberal candidate, but he has recently rejected such offers.

But a single liberal slate is out of the question anyway, as the coalition Citizens' List (DL) has decided to strike out on its own.

The PS could still join forces with the non-parliamentary Zares and Liberal Democrats (LDS), which have one MEP each in the current European Parliament.