LJUBLJANA, Slovenia _ Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar unexpectedly resigned Wednesday just months before the small Balkan European Union member was scheduled to hold regular general elections.
Speaking in televised remarks from his office, Cerar said "the final straw" that led to his decision was a ruling by the nation's top court that annulled the result of a referendum backing the upgrade of a new rail link from the country's Luka Koper port on the Adriatic Sea to the town of Divaca.
It ruled a new referendum was needed for the port, which Cerar argued would boost the country's ability to ship goods to other EU member states.
Cerar's Modern Center Party has plunged in popularity before general elections originally expected in June. Earlier Wednesday, tens of thousands Slovene teachers stayed home from work after trade unions failed to reach an agreement with the government on higher pay. The stoppage at schools and day care centers followed a wave of strikes and protests last month by public-sector workers including police, nurses and educators, who complain they haven't benefited from an economic boom in the euro-area nation of 2 million people.
Polls have shown that a comedian-turned-mayor, Marjan Sarec, had surged in popularity and is now placed to win the most votes in the elections. Cerar said he would inform President Borut Pahor of his decision on Thursday.
