Zoran Jankovic did not receive the necessary majority in the Slovenian parliament on Wednesday to form a new government.
The former mayor of Ljubljana needed the support of at least 46 of 90 MPs but only managed to gain the support of 42 in a secret ballot.
Parliament Speaker Gregor Virant said that President Danilo Tuerk and members of parliament now have up to 14 days to nominate new candidates for prime minister.
This is the first time in Slovenia that parliamentary deputies have not supported the president of a party that won the most votes in an election and a relative majority in parliament.
