A former comedian has become prime minister of Slovenia - after abandoning an early career impersonating politicians.

Marjan Serec was approved as prime minister designate in a parliamentary vote on Friday, putting him on course to form a minority government after months of deadlock.

Mr Serec, the head of the centre-left LMS party, struck a serious pro-European tone in his first address, but he has taken an unconventional path to becoming Slovenia's youngest prime minister in more than 25 years.

Now 41, Mr Serec started his career as an actor and stand-up comedian satirising Slovenian and foreign politicians.

They included former prime minister Janez Jansa, head of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party, whom he ridiculed over idiosyncratic speech and poor English.


After abandoning comedy in 2010, however, Mr Serec recast himself as an anti-establishment politician and unexpectedly won a mayoral race in the northern town of Kamnik.

Turning his attention to bigger ambitions, in 2017 he ran for president, and this year his LMS party came second in Slovenia's election on 3 June.

And he became PM thanks to the support of four other centre-left parties, who had banded together against Mr Jansa's party - which had ran on an anti-migrant ticket to win the most seats.

The former satirist was voted with a margin of 55-31.

Commentators have expressed doubts over the solidity of the minority government, but Mr Sarec has insisted he is not playing for laughs, saying: "Deeds, not words, will be counted."