Prime Minister Miro Cerar said he and his party would "always respect court decisions" and was now "respecting the interim decision by the Constitutional Court".

Similarly, Speaker of the National Assembly Milan Brglez, who comes from Cerar's SMC party, said he would not comment on the decision but was "taking note of it".

Indeed, he suggested the decision would make the work of the parliament easier, a reference to months of quandary over Janša's MP status and his attendance of parliament sessions.

The majority of Slovenia's political parties refused to comment on the decision beyond saying that they respect it.

Only the opposition Alliance of Alenka Bratušek (ZaAB) was critical of the court's decision, wondering what message it is sending to the people.

Many people seem to think that the court has already made up its mind, the judges will have to work hard on making sure people continue to believe in it, ZaAB deputy group leader Jani Möderndorfer said.

The camp of Janša supporters meanwhile celebrated, with senior SDS members in particular taking to social media to hold up the decision as proof that Janša is a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by the left.

The SDS said on its web page that the court had "upheld the constitutional order and justice", liberating "the only political prisoner in the heart of the EU".

Even the European People's Party (EPP) chimed in, with its president Joseph Daul expressing the hope that the final decision "will be taken in accordance with EU norms on the independence of the judiciary".

The EPP, and Daul in particular, have been vocal supporters of Janša's and have endorsed the SDS's view that the Slovenian judiciary is biased.

The Assembly for the Republic, a right-leaning group with close links to Janša, said the decision was important in terms of restoring the rule of law and democratic freedom.

The group is confident the temporary injunction will be followed "in a reasonable time" by a final decision that will clarify all constitutional dimensions of the "unconstitutional and legally defective guilty verdict".

Similarly, Tone Jerovšek, a former Constitutional Court judge, suggested the interim decision was already indicative of what the final decision may be like.

He said law students were taught that a temporary injunction is typically issued when the applicant is likely to succeed with their petition.

The decision "indicates that a significant number of the judges are leaning towards a solution that would grant the constitutional appeal", added Lojze Ude, another former judge.

The decision has now cast the spotlight on the Supreme Court, which had upheld the guilty verdict, with many Janša supporters demanding accountability, in particular from Supreme Court President Branko Masleša.

Supreme Court spokesman Gregor Strojin however noted that the court had not yet taken a position on the substance of Janša's appeal, instead focusing on its vision of what constitutes a well functioning opposition.

The court is not dealing with the broader implications of the ruling given that it is not a final decision, he said.

Janša was released from prison today on a temporary injunction issued by the Constitutional Court that will remain in effect until it reaches a final decision.