Slovenia gears up for polls as parliament accepts PM resignation

LJUBLJANA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian President Borut Pahor will will start consultations with deputy groups to set a date for the general election after the National Assembly, the general representative body of Slovenia, accepted Prime Minister Miro Cerar's resignation Tuesday.

The general election was widely believed to be held on June 10. But with Cerar unexpectedly stepping down less than three months before, the date could shift to late May.

Cerar announced his resignation last week after the Supreme Court annulled the result of a September referendum that approved the government's biggest investment program, a railway project to connect the coastal cities of Koper and Divaca. Cerar had called it vital for Slovenia's development.

"The events of recent weeks were no longer in the interest of Slovenia's prosperity," Cerar told a parliamentary session on Tuesday, alleging there were "anti-developmental actions" by various political and other players, the Slovenian Press Agency reported. Enditem