Slovenia's prime minister, Alenka Bratusek, said yesterday that she would step down tomorrow after losing a contest for her party leadership.

She also urged lawmakers not to nominate a new prime minister-designate who would try to form a new government, in an attempt to increase the chances of an election being held quickly.

Bratusek's economic policies helped stave off the need for an international bailout last year, when Slovenia's budget deficit soared to 14.7% and the state injected €3.3 billion of its own funds into troubled local banks.