Slovenia's lawmakers expected to reject Dolenc for central bank governor post

Slovenia's lawmakers are expected on Tuesday to reject the official candidate to head its central bank after most parties gave him the thumbs-down in a parliamentary debate.

Primoz Dolenc, who has been the bank's deputy governor since 2016, was nominated for the top job last month by President Borut Pahor.

But Jozef Horvat, of opposition party conservative New Slovenia, told parliament he believed Dolenc's record at the bank meant his credentials were lacking.

"It is our belief that the Bank of Slovenia did not perform its supervisory function (over the country's banking sector) well ...," he told lawmakers.

Allegations of money laundering have plagued Slovenia's banking sector since it came close to seeking an international bailout in 2013.

Parliamentary parties had previously failed to agree on any single candidate to succeed former governor Bostjan Jazbec, who resigned in April to take on a position on the EU's Single Resolution Board.

Dolenc, 41, needs the backing of at least 46 out of 90 parliamentary members in a secret ballot to be elected.

If chosen, he would also sit on the European Central Bank's governing council.

If not, Pahor is likely to nominate a new candidate in the coming weeks. According to Slovenian legislation, there is no deadline by which a new central bank governor has to be elected.

(With inputs from agencies.)