ANTI-IMMIGRATION Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) topped the polls in Sunday’s general election, winning 25.9 per cent of the vote.

It finished ahead of the left-wing populist List of Marjan Sarec (LMS) which polled 12.7 percent. 

President Borut Pahor gave SDS leader Janez Jansa first shot at forming a government after his party won 25 of the 90 seats in Slovenia’s parliament.

“I am not obliged to award the mandate to the relative winner of the election, but I will do so because I strongly believe in democracy,” Mr Pahor said.

It is thought he could face difficulty forming a coalition with many in parliament opposing his extremist views.

Mr Jansa was prime minister from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2013 before being jailed for six months in 2014 on bribery charges over a 2006 arms deal.

He is an ally of Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has clashed with the European Union over his anti-immigrant rhetoric and rejection of a quota system for asylum-seekers.

Mr Jansa said: “Our party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first.

“We are open for co-operation, Slovenia is facing times which need co-operation.”