LJUBLJANA — Tensions are soaring ahead of this weekend presidential runoff vote in Slovenia, a small and economically struggling EU member state that is in danger of needing an international bailout. Thousands are expected at anti-government protests Friday in several cities at the time when many people are facing job cuts as a result of government cost-cutting measures and other reforms designed to avoid the bailout. After recent protests in the second-largest city of Maribor had turned violent, Prime Minister Janez Jansa warned that Slovenia is “soaked in gasoline and a single match can easily cause a fire. Slovenia has faced one of the worst recessions in the 17-member zone that uses the euro. The economy has shrunk by more than 8 percent since 2009 and continued to decline, resulting in a sharp drop in exports and living standards. The vote on Sunday is pitting incumbent Danilo Turk against former prime minister Borut Pahor. According to an opinion poll published Friday in the Delo daily Pahor will win about 55 percent of the votes, while Turk will garner some 24 percent. The poll was conducted with 780 people with a 2.5 percent margin of error. Political analyst Zelen Batagelj warned that any predictions are “risky” because “the protests ... are of big emotional importance.” Many among Slovenia's 2 million people are angry with their leaders' inability to join forces and pull the country out of the crisis, but also with the austerity measures they say target the poorest. — AP
