More than 1.7 million eligible voters will pick from more than 1,100 candidates from 17 parties and lists vying for 90 seats in the National Assembly.

The 13 July early election was called by President Borut Pahor after PM Alenka Bratušek resigned in early May following her defeat in the battle for presidency of the ruling Positive Slovenia (PS) against Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković in April.

This will be the second early elections in a row in Slovenia, coming after the elections in December 2011, which were won by the newly-emerged PS, whose president Zoran Janković however failed to form a coalition government.

As as result, Janez Janša of the Democrats (SDS) became the prime minister for the second time, forming a coalition with the Citizens' List (DL), Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), People's Party (SLS) and New Slovenia (NSi).

Janša's government collapsed in February 2013 after a corruption report on Janša was presented by the Corruption Prevention Commission, and a new coalition was formed by the PS, SocDems, DeSUS and DL, with Bratušek taking over as prime minister on 20 March 2013.

Today, a total of 1.714.476 eligible voters will be able to cast their votes at more than 3,140 polling stations around the country and 32 diplomatic offices. Around 4,000 will vote by mail from abroad, according to the National Electoral Commission.

Among the total of 1,134 candidates for MPs, 43% are women, while 69 current deputies are vying to be re-elected, including the representatives of the Italian and Hungarian minorities, Roberto Battelli and Laszlo Goncz.

Polling stations will be open between 7 AM and 7 PM, with the National Electoral Commission starting to release early unofficial results soon after the closure of the polling stations.

The commission will also release the result of the early voting soon after 7 PM, while the unofficial line-up of the National Assembly is expected to be announced around 11 PM.

The commission will publish the official result of the election and announce the new line-up of the National Assembly after it receives the votes from abroad, expectedly on 29 July.

The maiden session of the National Assembly is expected to be held on 1 August, at which the terms of the new MPs will be confirmed and the new parliamentary speaker elected.