LJUBLJANA, Slovenia ? A center-left party led by a prominent businessman and mayor of the Slovenian capital was taking a surprise victory in the country's parliamentary elections, early results showed on Sunday, reflecting mounting concern over the economy.
Positive Slovenia, led by Ljubljana mayor and former head of the country's largest retailer, Zoran Jankovic, is leading with 29.4 percent of the vote, the country's electoral commission said after counting some 40 percent of the ballots.
The conservatives ? who were favorites to win ? are trailing with 25.8 percent, the officials said. The leader of the Slovene Democratic Party, former prime minister Janez Jansa, conceded defeat and congratulated Jankovic.
The winner of Slovenia's first snap election since becoming independent from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession.
"The results show that Slovenia will go in the right direction," Jankovic said of the news. "It is obvious that the citizens want an efficient state."
Serbia-born Jankovic won prominence in Slovenia first as the head of the country's biggest retailer, Merkator, running the company successfully for eight years, before he was removed from the post in 2005 by Jansa. He has been the mayor of Ljubljana since 2006.
The vote was called after the center-left government of Premier Borut Pahor was toppled over economic troubles and allegations of corruption.
Pahor's Socialdemocrats were third with 10.4 percent of the vote, the partial results showed. A newcomer, former minister Gregor Virant is fourth, with 8.1 percent, followed by several smaller groups, who won between 4.5 and 7 percent.
Slovenia has been hit hard by the European debt crisis, with public debt swollen to 44 percent of GDP and unemployment at about 12 percent.
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